A Moonshield's Love Letter to Gensokyo
by Captain Senshi
Summary: This is a journey. A journey to find true happiness. To discover what was denied to him. To understand what he had been missing. To find something to live for. To fill that emptiness that plagued his existence since the beginning of his creation. To finally find a heart in the paradise of illusions.
1. What is it?

_Disclaimer__: I do not hold ownership over Bleach or Touhou._

* * *

_Why?_

That single thought ran through Ulquiorra's mind, like a question that infinitely sought an answer, but one can never be given. Why had he done it? Why had he stepped in just before the monster that was Kurosaki Ichigo had done the finishing blow to those worthless pieces of trash? They meant nothing to him. They were lower beings who did not deserve to live. Only the strong deserved to live, and the weak deserve to parish.

Yet he had done it. Before the shinigami daiko turned Vastro Lorde had released its fully charged Cero at the woman, he had interfered. He had cut off one of the monster's horns, dispersing the immense energy that had gathered between them.

Standing perfectly straight with only one leg and defying gravity altogether, Ulquiorra watched passively as the hollow's shell fell off of Ichigo's body. With shoulder-length hair as black as the endless night sky, and skin as white as the finest pearls, Ulquiorra was the perfect definition of terrifying beauty. A large, pitch black bat-like wing extended proudly from the right side of his back, its twin having been sliced off by a single swing made by Ichigo's hollow. Dark tuffs of fur adjourned his arms from the elbow down and his legs from the waist down, with claws like finely sharpened knives and feet like talons. Long, bat-like ears grew out from the top of his head, pointing defiantly towards the sky. Black tear lines fell from yellow eyes with slitted pupils and green sclera set in a distinctively handsome face, his closely knitted eyebrows and black upper lip adding to his dashing yet fearsome features. Housed in his thin yet muscular chest is a large, gaping hole, one that cut straight through his body from the front to the back. Black, blood-like lines extended from this hole, reaching the fur on his waist.

If he were human, he would have been dead. But he was no human. His humanity had been lost long ago. Now, he was a creature of hunger, a creature of eternal emptiness that cannot be filled. He was corrupted, a collection of hundreds of lost souls that could not pass on because of their sins.

He was an Arrancar, the strongest among the hollows, one of the few who had achieved the pinnacle of strength among their race. A commander who led the lower hollows on their hunt to satisfy their insatiable hunger for human souls.

"Kurosaki-kun!" The woman, Inoue Orihime, ran toward her fallen friend as he fell, her voice filled with concern mixed with sorrow. Long, orange hair bellowed behind her as she crouched near Ichigo's body, wearing the tattered remains of a dress that was given to her by Ulquiorra at the beginning of her capture. A look of worry plastered her face, overcoming the fear that had entered her heart when Ichigo transformed into that terrifying creature.

Ulquiorra's eyes moved to stare at the woman, that same question again flowing through his mind. Why? That monster of a man was going to kill her, yet she worries for him. Why would she care for the man who turned into a monster and tried to kill her? Was it because of the heart?

As Ulquiorra's left side, which had been sliced off by Ichigo's rampaging hollow, continued to regenerate, a single train of thought overshadowed all the questions that he had.

'…my arm, leg, and body are regenerating, but it's only for show' thought Ulquiorra, 'the organs he blew away will not return. If that strike hadn't ended it just now, I would be the one dead over there.'

Suddenly, howling winds exploded from Ichigo's body. Ulquiorra's eyes flew wide in disbelief as he watched the spirit particles around Ichigo collect, converging into the hole that went through his chest. The force of the process was enough to knock Orihime onto her bottom and shocked the heavily sweating Ishida Uryu.

After a short moment, the winds dissipated, leaving a completely unscathed Ichigo. His hollow shell completely removed, Ichigo was once again the fifteen-year-old that he was. His body was muscular, the result of intense training for a war that threatened to destroy his home. Short bright orange hair framed his mildly attractive face, distinguishing him from the rest of the youths his age. He wore what remains of his bankai, his upper body bare except a lone sleeve hanging on his right arm and his lower body covered by the shredded remains of his shihakusho's pants.

'How?' Ulquiorra thought, 'the wound I gave him should have been fatal!'

As Ichigo laid face down, Orihime stared at him with moist eyes, her expression shocked beyond belief. Behind his glasses, Uryu was wide-eyed. "The hole…closed up?"

A look of apprehension momentarily appeared on Ulquiorra's face. 'Impossible!' he thought, "High-speed regeneration?!"

"K…Kurosak….-kun?" whispered the woman, her hand reached towards the fallen shinigami daiko, afraid that what was before her was not real.

Ulquiorra watched as suddenly Ichigo shot up, his hands pushing him off the ground as he rose to a sitting position, further shocking Ulquiorra and everyone else.

"…..where?!" he stuttered out. Immediately, his right hand flew to the center of his chest, the place where the large hole had been just a moment ago. "Wasn't there...a hole in my chest!?"

"Kurosaki-kun…"

As Ichigo turned to his side, coming face to face with the woman, his expression shifted to that of a concerned one. "Inoue…you're okay?"

The woman nodded her head, causing a momentary look of relief to appear on Ichigo's face.

Suddenly, Ichigo's eyes flew wide, his head turning to his other side. There, he witness the horrifying sight of Uryu, whose pristine white Quincy uniform was stained crimson red from the blood what bled from where Tensa Zangetsu impaled him.. His face was covered in sweat, and he was breathing heavily. "Ishida!"

The Quincy lifted his head up a bit, his lips spreading into a small smile. "…so you finally…woke up, huh…" he panted out.

Ulquiorra noted that Kurosaki's face was filled with horror as he said "that wound…did I do that?"

Deciding that he had remained silent long enough, Ulquiorra decided to catch the shinigami's attention. "…you're a stubborn one…"

He watched as the shinigami daiko finally turned his head toward him, noting that his eyes went even wider when he finally set them upon the Arrancar's still regenerating body.

"…Ulquiorra!" said Ichigo, his voice hoarse.

'Foolish, to be shocked by the opponent's damaged body" mused Ulquiorra, 'Hesitation of that level would no doubt cost him his life.'

Yet, Ulquiorra did not take advantage of this. Why? What was causing him to do so? As he stood there contemplating this, his breathing slowly grew heavier, the price of the wound finally beginning to take its toll on him. Finally, Ulquiorra knew that he had to end this.

Using sonido, he appeared over the downed form of the Quincy. He proceeded to pull out Tensa Zangesu, the blade belonging to Ichigo, earning a small "Guh!" from the archer.

Ulquiorra flung the black katana towards its owner, its blade becoming stuck to the ground a few inches away from Ichigo's feet.

"Take it, and let's settle this"

Ichigo just stood there, his eyes staring towards his zanpakutou.

"Was I the one…who stabbed Ishida?"

Ulquiorra snorted, forming a Lanza del Relampago in his remaining arm. "Like I care"

"And the one who cut off your left arm and leg…" Ichigo continued "…was that me too?"

Ulquiorra stood there, locked in eye contact with Ichigo. He offered no answer, just curiosity over the orange-haired death god's question.

Expression becoming more resolute, Ichigo continued. "In that case, cut off my left arm and leg."

!

Disbelief again filled Ulquiorra. Why? Why offer your wounded opponent a chance to damage yourself? Why not take advantage of his weakened state to wipe him out completely? What would he gain from allowing himself to be crippled the same way that he is now?

"Kurosaki-kun!" yelled the woman, worry gain entering her expression as the weight of Ichigo's request became apparent.

"Up until now," Ichigo said "I've been fighting you hollowfied and unaware. THAT WAS NOT ME! "

Then it hit him. The reason that the substitute soul reaper offered him a chance to attack him was not out of any rational thinking. It was purely the Ichigo's belief that what he did as a hollow was not him, and now he wished to fight as equals again.

_Foolishness._

Such a way of thinking would not win him any battles. The weak deserved to die. Showing any weakness will get one killed. As it stands, the soul reaper had the best opportunity to kill him right now. He knew that he would not last; he can already feel his power slowly slipping away.

Ichigo's resolve hardened. "If we're gonna finish this, it won't be even unless I'm in the same state as you are now."

Yet the man continues. Was it out of sheer arrogance that he made such a request? Did he truly believe that he could defeat him without a leg and an arm?

Or was it the heart?

The heart. Something that he still could not grasp. The way that it causes a person to do irrational things perplexed him. How it could push one to do the impossible just to achieve a certain goal they believed in still eludes him.

"Kurosaki!" yelled a frantic Uryu "Do you know what you're saying? Kurosaki!"

Ulquiorra let out a breath; it was slowly getting even harder to breath for him. "Very well, if that is your desire then that is what I'll do."

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from his remaining wing. Glancing behind him, Ulquiorra watches as his wing gradually disintegrated, slowly turning into fine disappointed, Ulquiorra glanced at his disappearing form with clinical detachment, an unnoticeable pang of regret coursing through him for a brief moment."Tch…it's this bad?"

He had already accepted his fate, He has already lost to Ichigo. He knew that his internal organs cannot be regenerated. It was only a matter of time until his demise.

He no longer had any meaning.

"Kill me."

Surprise filled Ichigo's face. Slowly, he clenched his teeth together, his eyes becoming hidden by his bangs.

"Quickly…" Ulquiorra spoke, reiatsu leaving his body at a rapid pace. "… I no longer have the strength to walk. If you do not cut me down now, then this fight will remain forever unsettled."

"…no"

Caught off guard by Ichigo's answer, Ulquiorra could only say one thing. "…what?"

"I said I'm not gonna do it." Ichigo ground out.

Ulquiorra just stared. Again, this human's actions bewildered him. Why didn't he want to kill him, the person who kidnapped his friend and led comrades to their deaths?

"is this…IS THIS ANY WAY TO WIN!?" yelled Ichigo, his voice filled with sorrow. His eyes, now visible, conveyed the feeling of angry regret, furious at himself for doing something he believed to be completely wrong.

Once more, Ulquiorra's eyes flew wide, finally understanding the shinigami daiko's actions.

It was not out of arrogance. It was not out of stupidity. It was out of compassion. It was because Ichigo's heart believed he had wronged him due to his actions as a hollow. It was because he was blaming himself for the suffering that he is going through right now.

The heart again.

Ulquiorra lowered his head, his eyes trailing toward the ground.

"tch…frustrating to the very last."

Then, he lifted his head, his usually stoic expression shifting into one of sadness, regret, and slight bemusement.

"And here I was…finally starting to take an interest in all of you."

The woman's eyes softened, her expression changed into one of sincere sorrow.

Ulquiorra's form continued to dissolve. Slowly, he raised his remaining arm, hands reaching towards his former captive.

"…do I frighten you…girl?"

Orihime's eyes glistened, no longer being able to contain her feelings.

"No, you don't."

She lifted her right arm, reaching for the hand of her captor as he perished.

Finally, he began to understand. Finally, he started to know _why_.

"I see"

Their hands never connected.

His remains were swept away by the winds of Hueco Mundo.

_Quietly…_

* * *

_ What is it?_

_If I tear open your chest, will I see it inside?_

_If I shatter your skull, will I see it there?_

_You damn humans speak so easily of it_

_Almost as if…._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_I see…_

_This is…yes_

_This thing in my hand….._

_Is the heart?_

* * *

Konpaku Youmou let out a sigh as she sat on the veranda of Hakugyokurou, a cup of steaming tea in her hands.

She had a young appearance, her height qualifying as "short" when compared to others around her. Pristine silver hair enshrouded her head, forming a bob cut that is tied by an off-centered black ribbon. She wore a green dress with short white sleeves, with white ghost insignias along the edge of her skirt and on her breast pocket and a black ribbon on the center of her collar. Beautiful blue eyes adjourned her youthful face, which is currently expressing her fatigue. Her two blades, Roukanken and Hakurouken, lay to her left while a pot of green tea sits to her right.

It had been one of those days. She had woken up early to make breakfast for her mistress, underestimated her appetite, and ended up having to make a whole entire new batch. She then went on to perform her gardening duty, only to find that over the night an entire army of weeds had invaded the gardens. After a few agonizing hours of weeding, she still had to care for the trees and flowers, trimming here and there to maintain their perfect appearance. Lunchtime came, along with the discovery that their food stores are dwindling AGAIN. So the trip to resupply had to be made, involving her flying to various villages and visiting their shops. Of course, some of the items she needed just HAD to be sold out, thus causing her to go on a scavenger hunt across many stores and establishments. In the end, she was exhausted when she returned. She still had to cook dinner, so she neither had the time nor energy left for her usual training session.

Glad for the break, she sat there watching the night sky, the moon a shining beacon amongst tiny specks of stars across the heavens as the various ghosts of the Netherworld whizzing by its form. Her ghost half was close by, laying on the floor behind her as if to emphasize her tiredness.

After enjoying her brief respite, Youmou began to rise from her sitting position. She had to prepare herself for bed and wake up early tomorrow to perform her duties.

Then, she notices something. Looking up, she saw the ghosts of the Netherworld, which previously had been flying lazily in random patterns in the sky, had stopped their movements. Now, they were all slowly heading in one direction, going towards the numerous sakura trees of the Netherworld.

Looking behind her, Youmou saw that her ghost half too began to behave oddly. It seemed torn between following the rest of the ghosts and staying with her, making motions that gave the impression that it was fidgeting. Curious and a bit alarmed at the ghosts' behavior, Youmou grabbed her blades, attached them to her waist, and prepared to investigate.

Outside of Hakugyokurou, Youmou followed the ghosts towards a section of the small forest of sakura trees. She tensed, becoming wary of what she might find as she followed the ghosts deeper into the groves.

Eventually, she happened upon a clearing amongst the trees. This normally would not surprise her. She takes care of the trees herself, and knew the groves like the back of her hand. What's unique about this clearing is that it is covered entirely with pure white Azaleas, emitting a slight ethereal glow as they sway with the slight breeze of the Netherworld. When she moved closer to the field, what Youmou found left her astonished.

There, sprawled in the bed of white flowers with a katana next to him as ghosts circled curiously above his form, was a man.

A man with hair as black as the night sky and skin as white as the finest pearls.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Greetings to my fellow readers. You may have been wondering: Why Ulquiorra in Touhou? In all honesty, this idea had been stuck in my head for quite a while now. One of the first fics that I ever read in this site was _No Time for Slacking_, which had Komachi going into the Bleach universe and back to Gensokyo. Though it was arguably better than some of the other fics that I have read, it simply was too short and lacking for me. I had loved Ulquiorra as a character, and I wanted to see him with the girls of Touhou. I had wanted to immediately put this idea up on the board, but I was conflicted as to what I planned to do with Ulquiorra. Also, I have little confidence in my writing ability, and believed that what I put up would be total piece of shit that everyone will laugh at. Now, after waiting for what seemed like years, not even a single new Bleach/Touhou fic was ever written. In the end, desire to express my idea overcame my doubts, and thus this story was born.

As for this chapter, I know it's mostly just a rerun of the last few moments of Ulquiorra's life, but I feel that it would right to just immediately send Ulquiorra straight to the Gensokyo. In addition, I had been torn between sending him to Reimu or the Netherworld. In the end, the Netherworld won out because it made more sense. Ulquiorra is a hollow, a spirit tainted with sin that could not pass on to heaven to hell, and the Netherworld is home to ghosts that did not go to either hell or heaven. It just fitted better that way.

Anyways, please review my story so that I may make it less painful to read and more enjoyable for everyone. Also, my flame shield is always on.


	2. Taking the first step

_Disclaimer: I do not hold ownership over Bleach or Touhou._

* * *

_If such a thing called 'happiness' exists, it should be something which resembles the limitless nothingness. _

_Nihilism is having nothing, and having nothing to lose._

_If that is not 'happiness', then what is?_

_The things reflected in my eyes have no meaning._

_The things that could not be reflected in my eyes do not exist._

_There is nothing…_

_In you…_

_And in me._

* * *

_Darkness. _

That is what met Ulquiorra after his death. He had expected this, that eternal nothingness would be what ones such as him had coming after he was slain.

Yet, he still thought. How could that be? He was dead, slayed by Kurosaki Ichigo on the top of the fortress Las Noches. He should not be able to think in his death, his brain having totally disintegrated along with his body.

Slowly, he notices that thinking was not the only thing he was able to do. He could feel. He could feel his arms, his legs, and his torso as he laid on something soft and comfortable, with what feels like a thick sheet covering his entire body from the neck down. Quickly, he realizes that the darkness that he sees was not caused by his surroundings, but was merely there because his eyes were closed. Does this mean that he was still alive?

Ulquiorra entertained the idea that he had been sent to Soul Society, that being slain by Kurosaki's blade purified his soul and sent him to the home of the shinigamis. However, if that were the case, then how was he able to remember who he was? Souls that go to Soul Society generally lose all memory of their previous life. He still had all of his, up to when he took his final breath.

Realizing that theorizing won't get him anywhere, Ulquiorra did the only thing he could do right now.

He opened his eyes.

He found himself staring at the wooden ceiling of some kind of structure. Slowly, as he still could not believe that this body was his, he straightened into a sitting a position. He felt the sheet that covered him fall to his waist, and found that he had been laying in a futon. He saw that he was in a traditional Japanese bedroom, with thin paper walls and shoji screen doors. Gentle light filtered through the paper door that presumably leads outside, signifying that it was early in the morning.

Well, at least he knew that he wasn't in Hueco Mundo anymore. There was no daytime there, and the fortress of Las Noches was not capable of simulating daylight cycles. With the chances of him being in Soul Society close to null, he could only assume that this was the human world.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was picked up by his ears. Uncharacteristically, Ulquiorra found himself tensing. His right hand went to his left hip, instinctively reaching for Murcielago, and discovered that it was not there.

The footsteps got closer, its pace seeming becoming more drawn-out as it neared his position. Finally, the owner of the footsteps stopped in front of the room he was currently in.

Ulquiorra readied himself as he saw the shadow of the footsteps' owner from behind the shoji screen, his or her hand reaching the side of the door. Finally, the figure gripped the door's corner, and slid it open.

Emerald eyes with slitted pupils met mesmerizing blue ones as Ulquiorra took in the appearance of girl before him. Her hair, a rich silver color, formed a bob cut that was tied at the top by a lopsided black ribbon. Her dress was green, with white puffy sleeves, a black bow tied below where her collar is, and white frills that extended shortly from the ends of her skirt. Her outfit was decorated by what appears to be small white ghost insignias along the edge of her skirt with one on her shirt pocket. Attached to her back were two swords, one being a katana and the other being a wakizashi. The longer of the two had a flower design on the hilt, an actual flower tied to the end of its scabbard. She was small in stature and had a youthful look to her. In her hands was a tray with a steaming bowl and a cup.

What intrigued Ulquiorra the most, however, was the white floating blob that hovered behind her. As large as the girl herself, this blob looked like what humans today would call a "ghost", except it reminded Ulquiorra of those "marshmallows" that he had seen a few times while he was surveying the human world. It followed her loyally, as if it was some kind of pet.

"Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed as a smile adjourned her face "I was getting worried about you."

"I was asleep?" questioned Ulquiorra as the girl stepped through the doorway, the ghost following her in. On the outside, Ulquiorra's face retained his trademark stoic expression. Inside, however, Ulquiorra watched the girl's actions cautiously, not knowing what she would try to do as she approached him.

"Yes" she said as she walked over to the right side of his futon. There she lowered herself into a seiza position and set the tray filled with what he now identified as a bowl of rice soup and a cup of tea to the side. "You've been sleeping since I found you last night. Do you feel all right?"

"I'm well." Ulquiorra asked, his guard lowering a bit "You said you found me?"

"Yep!" she beamed "Although you didn't have any wounds on you, you were unconscious and I didn't know what was wrong with you."

"I see" said Ulquiorra.

"You looked like you came out of a battle though" she said.

"Oh?" said Ulquiorra curiously. This girl was not in the battle that he had fought before he died so how was she able to tell? "What makes you think so?"

"Well…" she started. Suddenly, her face started to turn red. Her gaze fell to her lap as she brought her hands up and pushed her two index fingers together. "…your clothes…"

"My clothes?" Ulquiorra said quizzically. He then took the time to evaluate his current state of dress. What he saw made his eyes shoot wide and froze him completely.

He was still wearing the Arrancar uniform, except his black sash was nowhere to be found. His white jacket had been shredded down the middle of his chest, revealing his slender yet muscular chest while his white hakama was littered with rends and burn marks. This was not the cause of his current state of shock, however.

What caused it was the hollow hole in his chest, or lack of one to be precise. The place where the gaping hole should be was filled, leaving only his bare chest. Quickly, Ulquiorra's left hand shot up to the left side of his head, feeling for the familiar bone-white helmet fragment that covered half of his head.

It wasn't there.

As the realization sunk in, Ulquiorra began to feel weaker. The two things that signified his status as an Arrancar, his hollow hole and his mask fragment. Gone. How could this be? If he had somehow ended up in the human world after his battle with Kurosaki, it should not have any effect on his appearance. Was he a hollow anymore?

Quickly, Ulquiorra took a survey of his being. To his mild relief, he could still feel his power coursing within him, if not weaker than it should be. Using his Pesquisa, he was still able to sense the spiritual power of those around him. He could also still feel the link to his zanpakuto, its presence somewhere close to his current location.

But then, if the power he had as an Arrancar was still present, what was he? Was he human? No, that can't be. He still had his zanpakuto. Was he a shinigami then? Impossible. There were no records of hollows being turned directly into shinigami after they were slayed.

So what was he?

"Um…are you okay?" the girl asked, a look of concern on her face. She saw that person before her, whose face usually remained expressionless, now had a look of disbelief plastered on it. His hand also was over his heart, squeezing it so tightly that she thought that he was in pain.

Brought back to reality, Ulquiorra realized what he had been doing the entire time. Catching himself, he allowed his face to return to its usual stoic appearance as he lowered the hand clenching his heart to his side. "I am fine. Do not worry yourself."

Suddenly, his vision became filled with white as something soft collided into his bare chest. Moving his head back a bit and grabbing the thing by its sides, Ulquiorra saw that his mysterious assailant was the blob from earlier. It squirmed in his hands, apparently wanting to be released so that it could tackle him again.

"Wawawawawawa! What are you doing!" exclaimed the girl as she rapidly waved her hands up and down in front of her in a comical fashion, a blush more pronounced than before covering her face. "Stop that, he could still be hurt!"

Eventually, the blob stopped moving in his hands, conceding to what the girl hand told it to do. Slowly, Ulquiorra released the blob, and it floated away from him. Now, it's seemingly content with just circling close to him, acting like it was curiously observing him.

Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow as he watched the blob, curious about its existence. What was it? It didn't look like a plus, since it lacked the form of a human and did not have a soul chain coming out of it, and it most definitely was not a hollow. He had never seen anything like it, both in the human world and Hueco Mundo. Looking into its spiritual power, Ulquiorra was surprised to find that it had the same reiatsu signature as the girl.

"What is that?" inquired Ulquiorra, asking the girl who seem like she hand control over the thing.

"Oh, umm, that's…" started the girl as she fidgeted, apparently still a bit embarrassed about what it had done to him earlier "..that's my ghost half."

Ulquiorra was at a loss. What? Her ghost half? Does that mean that she was the offspring of a spirit and a human? How was that possible? Never in the length of time that Ulquiorra was alive had he ever heard of the successful production of a half-human and half-spirit individual. It just was not possible. Spirits could not even touch the living, let alone breed with them. Could the girl be lying to him? No, it didn't seem plausible. What could she gain from lying to him in this situation?

So how was it possible?

"I see" Ulquiorra said with a bit of uncertainty leaking from his voice before he asked her something. "What is your name?"

"Ah!" squeaked the girl, snapping out of her embarrassment and bowing slightly "Sorry for being so rude. My name's Konpaku Youmu, pleased to meet you. "

"Understood" stated Ulquiorra "Konpaku-san. May I ask where I am right now?"

"Oh, you're in Hakugyokurou, the ghost shrine of the Netherworld." Said Youmu.

Again, Ulquiorra was stumped. Both were places that he had never heard of before. None of those places pop up when cross referenced with Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. Where they in the human world then?

"Wa!" exclaimed the girl, as if she "I forgot! I still have to cook breakfast for the Yuyuko-sama!"

"Yuyuko-sama?" questioned Ulquiorra as Youmu stood up and prepared to exit the room to perform whatever duty that demanded her attention.

"Yes, she's the mistress of this shrine" she said as she wore a panicked look "I have to get her meal ready soon, she usually wakes up just a few minutes from now!"

"I see"

"Ah! But your clothes are still ruined…" she said, contemplating this particular predicament "Oh! Please wait a minute."

She ran out of the room with her ghost half trailing behind her, leaving the screen door open as Ulquiorra looked curiously out the door, wondering what she had in mind. A few seconds later, Youmu returned, holding in her hand a bundle of green clothes.

"You can wear this for now" she said "they belonged to my teacher, but he's not here now so you can borrow them."

"…why?"

"Huh?" Youmu asked "What do you mean?"

"Why are you helping me?" Ulquiorra questioned. He was a stranger to her. How could she be sure that he did not seek to harm her and the rest of her household? If it had been him, he would've left him to die where he was rather than take the risk.

"Well…" she said with a sad look in her face "…I couldn't just leave you like that, you could've been really hurt. I would've felt guilty if I hadn't done anything when I could."

There it was again. Compassion. A thing of the heart, the concept that he only had just began grasping. Ulquiorra knew it would be a while before he fully understood what it means to have a heart.

"I'll check up on you after I finish everything" she said, looking apologetic "I'm sorry it's so sudden, but I really have to finish making breakfast."

"I understand" he said "Go, I can take care of myself."

With a nod, Youmu ran out the room with her ghost half again, her footsteps echoing down the hallway until it could not be heard anymore.

Ulquiorra let out a tired sigh. There were many things that he did not understand. He would have to question the girl again so that he could full grasp his situation right now.

Looking to the place where Youmu had been sitting, Ulquiorra found that she had left tray of food behind. Suddenly, he felt hunger overcoming him, like he had not had a meal for days. Grabbing the tray, he carried it over to his lap, picked up the spoon, and started devouring the bowl of rice soup.

After cleaning the bowl of its contents, Ulquiorra let out a satisfied breath. Setting the bowl aside, he picked up the cup of tea. He looked into the cup, and furrowed his eyebrows as he saw a reflection of himself on the surface of the drink. His left hand went up to his face, fingers trailing on the area under his eyes.

His tear lines were no longer there.

He winced, finding farther proof that he was no longer a hollow. He needed answers. He needed to know what happened to him and where he is right now.

Closing his eyes, Ulquiorra brought the cup up to his lips and took a sip. Almost immediately, his eyes flew open. Grimacing, he quickly moved the offending drink away from his mouth. He gave the cup a death glare, as if it had done something unforgiveable to him.

This tea was definitely not on the same level as the tea he was used to drinking. He would have to rectify this as soon as possible.

Setting the cup aside and grabbing the bundle of clothes next to him, Ulquiorra slid out of the blanket and stood up. Unfolding the bundle, he found that it was a set of men's kimono, complete with a black inner shirt, a white kimono with a green ghost insignia on each upper arm, a green hakama, a green jacket with white ghost insignias on the chest, a black obi belt, and a length of white cloth to from the fundoshi.

Ulquiorra got out of his tattered clothes and began the process of putting on the articles of clothing. The fundoshi went on first, along with the black undershirt. Then, the primary kimono was draped over his body and tied traditionally with the obi. Next comes the hakama, fully covering his legs while still giving him room to freely move. Finally, the jacket was lowered onto his shoulders, competing the traditional Japanese men's look.

Looking himself over, Ulquiorra was satisfied with the comfort level that the clothing offered. He was no stranger to traditional Japanese clothing since Aizen had incorporated it into the Arrancars' uniform. The kimono was no more difficult to move in than his old clothes, and seemed to be made with maneuverability in mind.

With the problem of his current state of dress solved, Ulquiorra set out to find his apparent rescuer. Remembering that she said she needed to finish breakfast for her mistress, Ulquiorra expanded his spiritual senses in hopes to find the exact location of Youmu. What he found instead alarmed him.

Relatively nearby, he could identify the signature of Youmu's power. Next to her was another spiritual signature, one that more powerful than Youmu herself. With the information that he has, he could only assume that it belonged to the mistress of this shrine. Along with those two, however, Ulquiorra sensed HUNDREDs more signatures flying around in the atmosphere above him. Though they are not particularly powerful, the sheer amount of them caused Ulquiorra to become wary. Walking to the shoji screen that presumably let outside, Ulquiorra slid the door aside and took in his surroundings.

Sakura trees. Those are the first objects his all-seeing eyes allowed him to see when he exited the shrine. Tens, if not hundreds of lush sakura trees, all in full bloom. The scenery was fantastical, the pink trees swaying lazily as the winds blew through their branches and carried away their pedals.

The scene entranced Ulquiorra, his eyes taking in the beauty before him. It took him a minute to realize that he had another purpose for coming outside. Tearing his eyes away from the serene view before him, Ulquiorra sought the source of the hundreds of soul signatures that he discovered before. He found what he was searching for when he looked up.

White blobs. Hundreds of them, shaped just like the Youmu's ghost half if not a bit smaller. More numerous than the trees that adjourned this place, they were all flying in random patterns in the sky with seemingly no purpose at all.

More ghosts? Are these all spirits of the deceased? What are they all doing here? More question started to form in Ulquiorra's head, all which he needed to be answered soon if he was to keep his sanity.

From the corner of his eyes, Ulquiorra saw some of the ghosts in the sky had apparently took notice of him. A few of them broke off from the flying mass, and are now descending towards him at a leisurely pace. Ulquiorra became wary, but remained calm as the approached him. He doubted they could do anything to him, even when his power was a bit weakened. Their spiritual power was minimal at most, and he did not think they posed a threat to him.

When they reached him, they circled around him, acting like they were curious about his existence but were too afraid to actually get any closer to him. Unconsciously, Ulquiorra's right hand extended toward them, palm up as if tempting them to come closer. Finally, one of the ghosts was brave enough to approach his open hand, landing softly on it as if it was testing the waters for any possible danger.

Curious, Ulquiorra brought the ghost closer to him, his left hand reaching for what appears to be the "head" of the ghost. Once there, his hand stroked the ghost like a puppy. As he petted the ghost, it snuggled into his hand, seemingly satisfied with the contact if the two blotches of red on its "face" told him anything. At this, the rest of the ghosts deemed him safe and got closer to him, some of them resting his head and his shoulders while the rest of them pressed against his body.

Ulquiorra didn't know what to think. Although they posed no threat to him and were actually really soft to the touch, they approached him like they thought he meant no harm. If he were still a hollow, these spirits would most definitely run away from him since hollows prey upon human spirits. These ghosts however, seemed comfortable around him, as if they appreciated his company and actually like being in his presence. Was this more proof that he was no longer a hollow?

Then, he noticed the two sources of spiritual energy in the shrine move, getting progressively closer to his location. He kept his back turned to the room and awaited their arrival, wondering what they would do when they found him.

He heard the other door to the room open, and a couple of footsteps followed.

"Ara, ara. What's this?" said an unfamiliar yet pleasant voice "it seems that the little ones have taken a liking to our guest."

At this, the ghosts detached themselves from him and flew back to the sky; almost as if they had anticipated that they would get in the way of the upcoming encounter. Turning to face the speaker, Ulquiorra set his sights on who he thought was the mistress of this shrine.

What he saw as one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had bright pink wavy hair reaching as far as her shoulders. Maroon eyes adjourned her gorgeous face, one that would no doubt leave men open-mouthed if they were to set their eyes on her. She wore a fetching light blue kimono with dark blue trim and white frills extending from the edges. A light blue mob cap covered her head, with a white hitaikakushi in the front that had a red spiraling ghost design on it.

Ulquiorra remained expressionless as she observed her, a feat that would most likely be impossible if he were any other man. He analyzed her soul further, and found that she had a signature that was more similar to the ghosts than it was to Youmu. Does this mean she was a ghost?

"I see that Youki's clothes seem to fit you well" the woman said happily "It really matches your eyes."

"It is satisfactory. I must thank you and Konpaku-san for lending them to me" says Ulquiorra.

"Ah, it's no trouble!" Youmu said with a small blush on her face as she waved her hands in front of her. She stood behind her mistress, her ghost half floating above her shoulder. "No one's using it right now, so it's fine."

"Indeed" the woman said with a smile as she reached into her kimono. Pulling out a folded fan, she spreads it open and started fanning herself lightly, with the fan covering the lower part of her face "We can't have you walking around in less than decent attire now, can we?"

"Very well" stated Ulquiorra "May I assume that you are the mistress of this shrine?"

"Yep!" she said cheerfully as she bowed slightly "I'm Saigyouji Yuyuko. Pleased to meet you!"

"I see" Ulquiorra said as he then bowed in return "I am called Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra Cifer. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier."

"Oh no! It's me who needs to apologize for running out on you like that." Youmu said as she bowed apologetically.

"Now now, Youmu. You didn't think that my hunger was more important than the wellbeing of an injured person, did you?" Yuyuko said with a teasing smile. Youmu lowered her head and blushed some more, something which she seems to be doing a lot this morning.

Ulquiorra noted that Yuyuko was someone who seemed easy to get along with, her cheery and playful personality nothing like the impression Youmu gave of her when she was panicking about cooking her breakfast. What caused Youmu to act like that back then?

"I understand. It is of no consequence." Ulquiorra stated "Rather, might I ask for a favor, Saigyouji-san?"

"Hm? What is it?" asked Yuyuko curiously, her head tilting to the side a bit.

"I would like to use your kitchen" Ulquiorra asked with serious face.

A question marked popped up on both of the girls' heads.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ulquiorra found himself in the large kitchen of Hakugyokurou. The girls watched curiously as Ulquiorra efficiently maneuvered himself inside the kitchen, searching the cabinets for something. Eventually, he found what he was looking for: a bag of matcha tea power, a chawan, a chashaku, and a chasen.

"…Wait for me in the dining room, I will be with you shortly" said Ulquiorra with his back to them as he looked for a pot to boil water in.

The girls could only nod dumbly as they watched him continue his activities with a level of diligence.

* * *

Sometime later, they all found themselves sitting seiza position on cushions in Hakugyokurou's dining room while Youmu's ghost half hovered around the room. Currently, Ulquiorra was putting the final touches to his creation, whisking the tea with the chasen so that it would achieve its signature rich consistency.

"It is done" announced Ulquiorra as he stopped whisking. He poured the tea from the chawan into three individual cups. He then passed one to each of the girls in front of him. The girls each muttered a word of thanks to him as they received their cups, still a little bewildered by his actions.

Ulquiorra lifted his cup up to his lips and drank, closing his eyes as he confirmed that the taste was satisfactory. The girls looked at each other, shrugged, and then started drinking themselves. Immediately both of their eyes became as big as dinner plates.

'This taste!' they both thought.

Youmu sat there frozen in complete shock by how heavenly the tea tasted. Yuyuko just kept drinking the tea, downing the entire cup in one go even when it's still hot enough to burn your tongue.

The tea magnificent. Everything was just right, it wasn't too sweet, it wasn't too bitter, and it seemed like it had every taste possible mixed into it. Compared to this, all the

"Haaaaaaaaaa…I'm in heaven~" Yuyuko said, her face full of ecstasy as she slumped down on her seat.

"It is nothing" said Ulquiorra with straight face, taking it as a complement. He was still taking slow sips from his cup as he watched the reactions of the two girls with a little bemusement. Youmu finally seems to snap out of her trance and continued to drink from her cup. Her ghost half moved closer and appeared like it also wanted a sip.

"Where did you learn to make tea like that, Ulquiorra-san?" Yuyuko asked, recovering a bit from her previous state.

"I have had a lot of time to practice" said Ulquiorra, remembering how he drank tea almost every day in Hueco Mundo since the day Aizen came to rule over it. Quietly, he sets his cup of tea down in front of him. "So, might I ask you a few questions, Saigyouji-san?"

"Oh? Sure, go ahead!" she said.

"Where am I?" Ulquiorra asked again, hoping to get a better answer this time.

"This place? This is Hakugyokurou, the ghost shrine of the Netherworld of course!" Yuyuko said.

"The Netherworld?" Ulquiorra questioned further.

"Yep, this is the place where ghosts go when they died and didn't to heaven or hell" Yuyuko cheerfully said.

That did not make any sense. He never heard of such a place in his entire life. If such a significant place had existed, he should have caught wind of it earlier from either his hollow brethren or the shinigami. Besides, he had already been dead, and hollows had three fates that await them when they are slayed: Soul Society, Hell, or nothingness. The Netherworld was not one of them.

"I have never heard of such a place" said Ulquiorra.

"Eh? Then how did you get here? You don't look like you're dead" said Youmu with a questioning face.

"Now that you mention it," Yuyuko contemplated "I don't remember ever inviting someone like you here, and the barrier between here and Gensokyo is still up, so it's not likely that you came from there either."

"Gensokyo?" Ulquiorra asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Both the girls stared at Ulquiorra, as if he had just said something impossible.

"You don't know what Gensokyo is?" asked Youmu with and astonished look.

"How is that possible?" asked Yuyuko with an equally astonished look "Are you somehow from the outside world?"

"The outside world?"

Yuyuko and Youmu looked at each other, then at Ulquiorra, then back at each other again. Eventually, they both let out as sigh at the same time. It seems like this man needs to be educated on an extensive topic.

"Well, where to begin?" Yuyuko said with a contemplating look.

[_Girls are explaining..._[

"...I see" Ulquiorra said as both the girls finished their explanation. After processing the information, Ulquiorra folded his arms in front of him "Allow me to relay what you have told me back to you in the way I see it."

"Un!" exclaimed the girls as they nodded their head.

"Gensokyo is a place that is separated from the rest of the world by a barrier that allows magic and youkai, monsters from Japanese folklore, to flourish peacefully as the rest of the world continued to lose belief in them." Ulquiorra listed.

The girls nodded synchronically.

"And the Netherworld, the place that we are in currently, is connected to Gensokyo but is sealed off by another barrier of great power."

Again, the girls nodded.

Sighing, Ulquiorra finally came to a conclusion. This was a totally different place from where he had been. There was no way Soul Society could've overlooked a place with such a large amount of individuals with exceptionally high spiritual power. It would have been a beacon for hollows that sought powerful souls, and would've caused this place to become infested with them. Yet, these two made no mention of their kind, and the situation with Gensokyo as they described it seems peaceful. All of this evidence combined with the inconsistency of the cycles of death, the appearance of spirits, and his apparent transformation all leads to one conclusion: something must have happened that kept him alive, changed his very being, and sent him here.

"Now that everything's been explained," said Yuyuko with a questioning look "can you tell us why you were lying injured in our garden, Ulquiorra-san?"

"…I do not know" Ulquiorra answered truthfully. Why was he here? Was there some god up there that saw fit to send him to this place? Or was here really a logical explanation for this? He honestly did not know the answer to these questions.

"Eh? What do you mean you don't know?" she asked, her increasing confusion apparent oh her face.

"…I was in a duel with one my enemy's strongest soldier." Ulquiorra explained "I had severely misjudged him, and was mortally wounded as the result. In the end, I lost consciousness while I was dying. I had thought I was dead until I woke up in the room that Konpaku-san had put me in after she found me."

It was technically the truth. He didn't think he should tell them the full truth yet, least they become a threat to him. He didn't have all of his powers yet and he assumed that his zanpakuto was still in their custody, so a full on confrontation with powerful individuals like them would probably not end well. Plus, for some reason that he could not phantom, he strangely felt like he didn't want them to know about the horrible things that he had done.

Not knowing this, the girls contemplated his current situation. Because of their nature, the girls could feel that the man before them exerted a sort of ghastly presence, a presence that seems to attract spirits to him. However, they both know there he probably wasn't dead, since only the dead invited by Yuyuko ended up in the Netherworld. He also doesn't exhibit the usual characteristics of someone who just died, namely the fact that his body was still corporal. And if he didn't know what Gensokyo is, chances are that was not where he came from.

Though these evidences lead towards him being an outsider, there were a few things that just did not add up. Judging from the clothes that Youmu saw him wear and the katana that he possessed, she deduced that the person in front of him was Japanese. What doesn't make sense is that almost no one in the outside world wore that type of clothing anymore, all having switched to a more modern design. Also, they weren't fools. They could feel the power that he exerted; the way he held himself was a testament as to what kind of strength he had. Combined with his ghastly presence and his obviously slitted eyes, this fact led them to believe that he was also not human. Was he perhaps a youkai, or was he something else entirely? Where exactly did he come from?

In the end, they brushed away their questions to address a more pressing matter.

"Ulquiorra-san, what will you do now?" Youmu asked.

"What will I do?" Ulquiorra questioned back.

"Well, you don't seem to know how you got here" Yuyuko elaborated "And it's not likely that you will be able to return to where you come from. Gensokyo is separated from the rest of the world, remember. Though it might be easy for someone to accidentally enter, it's much more difficult to leave. You may be stuck here forever."

That got Ulquiorra thinking. What WILL he do? He was probably presumed dead since he had been defeated by Kurosaki Ichigo. Even if there was a way to return to where he came from, he could never do so, not with the way he is right now. Though it might be difficult to accept, Ulquiorra knew he was no longer a hollow. Hell, he didn't even know what he is now. He had no mask and no hollow hole. Was he a human? Is this some divine retribution for the sins that he had committed? He didn't know, and he hated not knowing.

And according to the woman in front of him, he is most likely stuck here forever. What could he do here, in a world filled with powerful creatures of legend who sought to live their lives in such a carefree way? What purpose could he serve? What was there to live for?

The answer came to him from the soft beating of something inside his chest.

That right. The heart.

He was finally able to grasp one, to actually call one his own. There were still so many things about it and the emotions that it brought to him that he did not understand. He felt like an insatiable desire had befallen him; desire to experience what it truly means to have a heart.

Ulquiorra looked down towards his chest. He brought his right hand and squeezed the area where his beating hear is supposed to be. With a look of pained uncertainty, he answered.

"…I do not know…"

Yuyuko and Youmu watched as usually stoic expression of the man in front of them changed to something more sorrowful. Yuyuko closed her eyes and assumed a thinking posture. Eventually, her eyes flew open and a smile adjourned her face.

"Well, if you don't have anywhere else to go, why don't you stay with us?" she proposed.

"EHHH?!" exclaimed Youmu as she looked at her mistress with a shocked expression.

"You would…let me live here?" Ulquiorra asked. He was a bit surprised and skeptical. She would let a complete stranger that showed up one day in her garden with a weapon and tattered clothing stay with her? It seemed illogical.

Then, with his newfound understanding, he arrived at the answer. Perhaps it was out of goodwill? Was she doing this because she wanted to show kindness towards him?

"Well, it's not like I'm letting you stay entirely for free." Yuyuko said with a simile "You have to help out with the chores and do what I tell you to do, but other than that you can stay here as long as you like."

"A-are you sure this is okay, Yuyuko-sama?" Youmu questioned her mistress.

As the two girls talked to each other, Ulquiorra considered Yuyuko's offer. He had nowhere else to go, this world being something entirely new to him. There are many things he did not understand about it, and there was so much more he desired to know about the heart. Finally, there was this nagging feeling in the back of his head, one that told him to accept the offer for what it could bring in the future.

It took Ulquiorra moment consider his option. In the end, he gave his answer.

"Very well" Ulquiorra said. The girls stopped their discussion and looked towards him. He then bowed his head down toward the mistress of Hakugyokurou "I would like to accept your offer, if you would take me."

"Hooray!" Yuyuko said happily as she threw her arms in the air "Now I get to have Ulqi-kun's delicious tea every day!"

"Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu exclaimed "Please tell me you didn't offer him a place to live here just because you wanted to drink his more of his tea!"

"Of course not" Yuyuko said in a teasing tone "I also gave him the offer so that Youmu-chan can experience what it's like to live under the same roof as a man!"

"Y-Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu stuttered, her face as red as a tomato.

Ulquiorra watched bemusedly as Youmu chased Yuyuko around the dining room, the princess of Hakugyokurou laughing cheerfully as she eluded the hands of her subordinate while her ghost half trailed behind her.

He may be in a place that's vastly different from where he had come from. He may not be the same person that he was before his defeat. He may not fully understand what it means to have a heart. But…

_Maybe. Just maybe….._

For a split second, the corners of Ulquiorra's mouth twitched up a bit.

_Maybe he could find the answer here._

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well, here's the second chapter. I don't know what to say about it really. I kinda feel like I missed something when I was writing.

A bit of OOCness on Ulquiorra's part. I tried to ease his personality into one that actually had emotions, which had been what I planned from the start. I either did well in it or butchered it so much that you won't even know that it was Ulquiorra who was talking. Keep in mind, he's still going to be badass and retain most of his personality. But in the end, I want to show that he was actually developing feeling.

As for Yuyuko and Youmu, I did not know if I portrayed their personalities right. Honestly, Zun doesn't provide much in the way of character development in his games, and if I were to base this story entirely off the games, then all the girls would be talking in ancient poetic Japanese and/or nonsense gobbledygook, which would confuse the fuck out most readers. So, when it came to how they acted, I had to use my imagination.

For those of you who are wondering about the battle system of this fic, it's going to be based off of the fighting games like Hisoutensoku. Obliviously, Ulquiorra doesn't have much variety when it comes to energy based projectiles. I mean, I could use his Balla as danmaku bullets and his multiple levels of Cero as spell cards, but that wouldn't yield much in terms of fancy battles. He is a master hand to hand combatant and a sword wielder, so it makes sense to have battles that include physical damage as well. Thus, I feel much more comfortable writing the battle like this rather than just have him spam the fuck out of his Cero and winning matches easymode.

And for those who are wondering what the hell a chawan, a chashaku, and a chasen is, they are the bowl, spoon, and whisk that are traditionally used in Japan to make matcha green tea during tea ceremonies.

Well, as always, thank you for attending Story Time with Captain Senshi. If you have any comments or concerns, please leave me a review. Flames will be ignored because Fujiwara no Moku is present, and her flames are hotter than any of the flames what you mortals will ever be able to produce.


	3. There's a first time for everything

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Touhou_

* * *

_Cherry petals should have fallen like snowflakes…_

_Yet it was still silver with snow._

* * *

Ulquiorra's eyes fluttered open.

As he awoke, he took in his surroundings. He was in a familiar room, laying in a futon as the red glow of the morning sun shone through the shoji doors. He wandered why everything seemed so familiar to him.

Then, yesterday's events came back to him.

That's right. He wasn't in Hueco Mundo or anywhere near his world anymore. He was in the Netherworld, a place connected to another place called Gensokyo, a paradise for monsters of myth and lore. No matter how much he wanted to believe that what happened was just a dream, like the nightmares that frequently plagued his sleep in Hueco Mundo, he knew for a fact that this was reality.

For a split second, a pang of sadness entered his newfound heart.

This feeling was quickly crushed by Ulquiorra. There was no reason for him to long for his old life anymore. He had to face forward, put his past behind him, and move on. He had to adapt to what life threw at him, or else he would end up dead.

Yesterday was a rather eventful day. After accepting Yuyuko's offer, Ulquiorra was educated on the duties that were expected of him while he was staying in this estate. There wasn't much, he just had to help Youmu out with her every day duties and to do odd jobs that Yuyuko might give him now and then. It was clearly outlined by Yuyuko, however, that one of his most important duties was to continue making the "drink of the gods" for them, apparently referring to the tea he had made.

As Ulquiorra's thoughts went to the cheerful ghost princess of Hakugyokurou, he couldn't help but wonder about her behavior. Her carefree demeanor made her quite easy to get along with, which was a feat considering what kind of person Ulquiorra is. However, her actions were illogical, if not quite childish to him. At first, he had wished to refer to her as "Saigyouji-sama" as an acceptance to becoming one of her subordinate, only to be met with heavy opposition in the form of a pout and a demand to be called "Yuyuko-chan." In the end, Ulquiorra settled with calling her "Yuyuko-sama," the same way that Youmu addresses her. She begrudgingly accepted, believing that was the best that she could get from someone like him.

As for Youmu, she had earned some respect from him from the time that they worked together. When it came time for him to learn the job, she was the one who provided him with instructions. While working in the garden, she would give him very precise directions on how to handle flowers and how to take care of the trees. When it came to household chores, she taught him how to do the laundry and clean around the shine, as he had absolutely no experience in doing them at all. She seemed very committed to her duties, and did every job as perfectly as she can. This apparent, as when she would leave him to do her job, Ulquiorra could sense that she would occasionally come back and watch him from afar, seemingly to see if he was doing his job properly. She would comment now and then on how she thought Ulquiorra learned very quickly, and on how he diligent he was when he worked. He wondered, however, why she would blush now and then when he looked at her.

When nighttime came, things started slowing down. Ulquiorra helped Youmu prepare dinner with the limited knowledge of cooking that he had. Hollows didn't need to eat, so eating was considered a luxury amongst his kind. Still, he tried to learn as much as he can from Youmu, so that he can be more of help to her in the future. He wondered why they needed that much food though, there were only three of them but Youmu prepared enough food to feed an entire army. When the meal was done, along with Ulquiorra's tea, they finally sat together in the dining room to have their meal.

It was there that Ulquiorra bore witness to Yuyuko's "excessive" eating habits for the first time. For a while, Ulquiorra just sat there with a bowl of rice in his left hand and a pair of chopsticks in his right, staring in disbelief at her as she consumed helping after helping of food. He had seen heavy eating before, as Yammy got stronger by eating and sleeping frequently, but that was as nowhere close to what he saw then. It was like her stomach was a void and her mouth was a vacuum. Youmu sweat-dropped and gave him a knowing smile, obliviously used to her antics.

After their meal was done, Ulquiorra helped clean the dishes, which took quite a while con. Later, he was informed that he was to stay in the room that he had been resting in, and was given a green jinbei to wear to bed and directed to the bathhouse. In the end, he found himself in the same room where his eyes first opened into this world. With nothing else that he could do that day, he promptly fell asleep thinking over his current situation.

Ulquiorra looked to the left of his futon, spotting the familiar form of his zanpakuto resting next to him. It was returned to him shortly after his acceptance into the Hakugyokurou household, with Youmu apologizing for striping a swordsman of precious his weapon. Ulquiorra brushed the matter aside; it made sense to disarm a potential threat. Besides that, he was just glad that in this alien world he is able to hold something familiar again. Something that defined him as who he is, an important part of himself that made him hole again. He could still feel his link to it now, a connection that was always present since the day he had been turned into an Arrancar.

Though that got him thinking, if this connection was still there, then does that mean he still had all of his powers? True, though a bit weaker than it's supposed to be, he could still feel the presence of his power coursing through him. But, now that he was no longer a hollow, would any of his abilities change? In a world populated by creatures of immense strength and magic, it would be wise to be prepared to defend himself against potential enemies.

Thinking that he would look into this matter after he was done with today's work, Ulquiorra moved to rise from his futon. However, he found that he could not, as he was weighed down by something. He wondered what it was, as it couldn't have been the sheets. Quickly, Ulquiorra's senses alerted him of something that he did not notice before, apparently since he was so engrossed by his thoughts.

Shifting his sheets down a bit, Ulquiorra was surprised to find the sleeping form of the princess of Hakugyokurou attached to the right side his torso, with her head on his chest and right arm and leg draped across of him. Her mob cap was lying to the right of his futon, and he could see the entirely of her head for the first time.

Ulquiorra was kept calm, but was still a bit alarmed. How did she get near him without alerting his senses, let alone even crawl under his sheets and slept on his chest? Such a large reiatsu signature should not be able to get under his radar. And why was she sleeping here? Did she mistake this room for her own? If so, did she not see his sleeping form under the futon? Why did she decide to sleep on him?

Making a mental note to have a look at his senses later, Ulquiorra tried to awaken Yuyuko and get out of his current predicament.

"Yuyuko-sama, please wake up." Ulquiorra said as he gently shook her.

"Mwaaaa~ I can't eat anymore~" was the only response he got as Yuyuko continues laying on him. She even began drooling a bit on his jinbei, as her mouth was still open.

After a few more tries, Ulquiorra gave a sigh of defeat as he was thoroughly convinced that she would not wake up without anything short of a point blank Cero. And when he tried to get out of her grasp, he found that she was stuck to him like glue, and when he tried to pry her limbs away, she would promptly clamp them back to their original place.

Running out of options and getting a bit uncomfortable, Ulquiorra was forced to try using the only thing that he thought could get him out of her grip.

He tried using Sonido.

Bracing himself in case that something goes wrong when he was using this technique, he began gathering reiatsu on the soles of his feet and the palm of his hands. Suddenly, with a slight sound of static, Ulquiorra's form flickered from under his futon and appeared next to it, standing fully straight.

Satisfied that one of his best techniques was still functional, Ulquiorra looked at the sleeping from of Yuyuko in his futon and found that she was grasping for something in front of her with her face making an annoyed look. Quickly realizing what was happening, Ulquiorra searched for a solution. Getting an idea, he went into the closet in his room and pulled out an extra pillow. Walking back to the futon, he placed the pillow in front of her and watched as she grabbed the pillow and snuggled into it, accepting it as his replacement.

Ulquiorra watched as a smile again adjourned the ghost princess, that unfamiliar feeling welling up in his chest again. He had felt something similar yesterday after he had accepted Yuyuko's proposition. It was like a sort of comfortable warmth had settled in his heart. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, as he had never felt this way before in his life.

Lifting her head a bit, he slid his pillow under her head to make her feel more comfortable. It wouldn't do to displease the mistress of the place that he is living in. He would have to question her about her actions later, though.

Then, he notices the rather large drool stain she left on his jinbei. Narrowing his eyes at it, he made another mental note to get it cleaned before he went to bed today.

* * *

A bit later, after having a quick bath, Ulquiorra found himself walking towards the kitchen wearing his kimono without the formal jacket over it. As he was walking, he could sense Youmu's reiatsu signature moving around in the kitchen. She was probably cooking breakfast for their mistress if his calculations from her actions yesterday were correct. And judging from the time that he woke today, he would've made it there before her too if it weren't for a certain meddling ghost princess. Let it be known that if Ulquiorra was to work for someone, he was going to work to the best of his abilities.

He slid the door leading to the kitchen aside and was treated with the view of Youmu wearing an apron over her uniform while tasting the soup that she was making. Her ghost half was floating over a boiling pot, somehow using a ladle to stir its contents despite its form.

"Eh?!" she said, apparently a bit surprised by his entrance "Oh! Ohayou, Ulquiorra-san."

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Konpaku-san" he greeted back, his face retaining its usual stoic expression as he bowed a bit in greeting.

Upon noticing his presence, Youmu's ghost half stopped its actions. Quickly, it dropped the ladle and shot towards Ulquiorra. He watched curiously as the ghost flew towards his chest, crashing against it as he caught the ghost with both of his hands. Once there, the ghost began snuggling against him, its "face" developing two blotches of red as if it was blushing.

"Wawawawa! Don't do that!" Youmu said frantically, a blush covering her face in full force "Sorry Ulquiorra-san."

"It is fine, Konpaku-san" Ulquiorra said. Looking at the large ghost in his hand, he began to stroke its head. Youmu's ghost half adopted a look content "I do not mind"

"R-Really? Then, um, you don't have to be formal with me all the time, Ulquiorra-san" said Youmu, her cheeks reddening even more "I-I mean, now that we're co-workers, I wouldn't mind if you just call me Youmu…"

"…very well" Ulquiorra said "If that is what you wish, then I shall oblige, Youmu-san"

Youmu's blush intensified, though she was a bit disappointed that he added the "san" to her name. Noticing this, Ulquiorra wondered what was wrong with her.

"Youmu-san, is something the matter?" he questioned as he walked up to her. He let go of Youmu's ghost half, seeming pouted at the loss of contact.

"Ah! I-I…uh…um…" she stuttered out as he walked up to her and lowered his head to her height. She couldn't say anything as he moved closer to her, blushing even harder as his right hand reached for her face, the space separating them progressively decreasing at every passing moment.

When Ulquiorra's face was but mere inches from her own, his hand made contact with her forehead. Youmu squeezed her eyes shut and let out a barely audible squeak as she felt the palm of Ulquiorra's hand, her blush reaching its apex intensity.

"You do not seem to have a fever" Ulquiorra stated as he checked her temperature with his hand.

"I-I'm fine, Ulquiorra-san!" she said quickly, waving her hands side to side in front of her "Really!"

"…If you insist" Ulquiorra said, though still a bit skeptical. He took his hand off of Youmu's forehead, much to her disappointment "If you were to come down with something, inform me. I will do my best complete all of our duties by myself so you could rest. It would not be wise to overexert yourself if you are ill."

"H-Hai…" Youmu responded, looking at him with a small amount of red still on her face "thank you Ulquiorra-san. You don't have to worry though. I'm only half human, so I don't get sick that easily."

"I see" Ulquiorra said as he rose to his full height "Now then, what can I do?"

"Oh! Please wait a second." She said as she hurried out of the kitchen, her ghost half following closely behind. Moments later, she returned with a bundle of white cloth in her hands.

"You should put this on before you start" Youmu said, offering him the bundle "it wouldn't do if you got your clothes dirty while helping out."

Ulquiorra accepted the bundle and unraveled it, revealing a white apron with a pocket in front of it. He stared at it, his brow furrowing a bit as he took in its simplistic design. For some unfathomable reason, he felt distain at the prospect of draping such a piece of clothing in front of him. Brushing the feeling aside as irrelevant, he looped it over his head and tied it to his waist.

"Please start by cutting those radishes over there, Ulquiorra-san" she instructed as she busied herself with peeling some potatoes. Her ghost half flew back to the pot and continued stirring. "We should hurry. Yuyuko-sama should be waking up in a few minutes."

"Oh? Are you sure?" he said quizzically as he began slicing the daikon radish into pieces "She seems to be a very heavy sleeper."

"Eh? How did you know?" Youmu questioned back. She doubted he had seen Yuyuko's sleeping habits yet, as he had only been here for a day and had gone to sleep before Yuyuko.

"I found her asleep in my bed when I woke up this morning" Ulquiorra said, with the same tone that one would use to comment on the weather "No matter what I tried, she did not wake up"

Youmu froze. The potato the she had been peeling fell out of her hand as she stared at Ulquiorra openmouthed with a look of pure unadulterated shock. Even her ghost half stopped its actions and turned its face towards him, the ladle that it had falling out of its grasp and clanking against the pot.

"S-She slept with you?!" she shouted.

"Apparently so" Ulquiorra said as he looked farther into the situation "For some reason, she was able to elude my senses and in bed with me. I still cannot figure out why she did so. "

Youmu just continued staring at him.

"…I assume from your reaction that this is not a regular occurrence" Ulquiorra said as he stared curiously back at Youmu.

Snapping out of her shock, Youmu and her ghost half quickly shook their heads together "No, she never did something like this before."

"I see" Ulquiorra said, going back to slicing the daikon "I will have to question her about her actions later"

Nodding her head slowly, Youmu and her ghost half went back to their jobs. Just realizing that she hand dropped her potato, she let out small "Wa!" before retrieving the half-peeled vegetable.

For a while, they worked in peace, preparing food for their mistress as the sun continued to rise up from the east. However, during that time, Ulquiorra noticed that when she thought he wasn't looking, Youmu would steal glances at him for some reason. His curiosity on the matter peaked when she would blush when her gaze on him was longer than usual. Finally, Ulquiorra decided to question her actions.

"What is wrong, Youmu-san?" Ulquiorra questioned as they were finishing the meal.

"Wawawa!" Youmu exclaimed, having been caught in the act. She and her ghost half had been balancing some dishes in their hands/heads, and once Ulquiorra suddenly voiced his awareness of her actions she began fumbling around with them in her hands. To her horror, some of the dishes fell out of her grasp. With no way for her and her ghost half to catch them in time, they could only watch as they flew forward and began dropping toward the floor.

Then, to her astonishment, Ulquiorra flickered into existence out of nowhere in the dishes' trajectory, accompanied by a brief sound of static. Quickly, as if everything was in slow motion, he bent and caught all of the plates with one swoop of his hand. When he straightened, he was holding the dishes all stacked neatly in one hand.

Again, Youmu watched openmouthed as Ulquiorra walked over to her and handed the dishes back to her.

"Please be more careful next time, Youmu-san. It would be unfortunate if the expensive china is broken" Ulquiorra said.

"H-Hai, Ulquiorra-san" she stammered as she accepted the dishes.

"Now, might I again ask what is bothering you?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Uh…well…" she began. She lowered her head a bit and a blushed "Did you…with Yuyuko-sama…"

"Did I do what with Yuyuko-sama?" he pushed the matter.

"Um…you know…while you were sleeping together…" Youmu said as she became increasingly embarrassed.

"If I know, I would not ask you, Youmu-san" Ulquiorra stated, a bit irritated at not getting his answer.

"Ah…uh...um" she stuttered, not having the will to say it "N-Never mind, Ulquiorra-san. It's nothing."

"…Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully.

"Hai…" Youmu said as she nodded her head.

"Very well" Ulquiorra said, dropping the matter. They had other things that need their immediate attention right now, if what his sense was telling his is right. "We should hurry, Yuyuko-sama seems to be waking up."

Now, was Youmu's turn to ask Ulquiorra questions "Eh? How do you know?"

"I have the ability to sense individual's spiritual power around me" he said as he began carrying the exceptionally large bowls of food to the dining room. "She is currently moving around in my room and is heading towards the door."

"Wow, that's an incredibly useful ability." Youmu said as she contemplated the implications of having such an ability in a place like Gensokyo. Then, Ulquiorra's word finally hit her. "Wait, then that means we should really hurry!"

"Indeed" Ulquiorra said as he walked out of the kitchen.

Catching herself, Youmu and her ghost half hurried after Ulquiorra into the dining room to set up the dishes that they had been carrying.

Moments later, they finally finished filling the rather large dining table with all of the food they had prepared. The main courses were centered on the table, consisting of things like miso soup, tamagoyaki, grilled fish, and various pickles. Three sets of empty bowls and chopsticks where arranged around the main courses, with an extra-large tub of rice to the side of the table.

The two looked at their handiwork, both satisfied with the results. They finished in the nick of time too, as the screen door to the dining room slid open, revealing a sleepy ghost princess.

"Mwah~ Ohayou, Youmu-chan and Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said as she walked into the room, her kimono looking a little disheveled. She brought a sleeved hand up to her mouth and yawned, closing her eyes in process.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Yuyuko-sama" Youmu and Ulquiorra said at the same time as they stood side-by-side, both bowing respectfully toward their mistress.

Yuyuko continued to walk toward the table with a sleepy look. She reached her spot in the table and she sat down on the cushion. Taking it as their cue, both of the standing subordinates took their seats. While floating in the air, Youmu's ghost half decided to land on Ulquiorra's lap and got comfortable there. Though Youmu was still embarrsed about its actions, Ulquiorra quickly calmed her and told her that he did not mind. Finally, when everyone was seated, everyone brought their hands together.

"Itadakimasu!" all three individuals said together, signifying that the meal can begin.

For the entire time, however, it was less "everyone enjoying the meal together" and more like "Ulquiorra and Youmu fighting together to get their fill of food before the endless abyss that is Yuyuko's stomach claims it all." Ulquiorra himself realizes that, though he didn't need to before, his current body must be sustained with nutrients like that of a human, and that if he were to relinquish all of the food to his benefactor, he would end up starving and weak.

Yuyuko just kept eating away with a happy expression, the rice in her bowl needing to be refilled frequently by either Youmu or Ulquiorra once it depletes. Eventually, all of the food in the table was devoured, with Youmu and Ulquiorra barely getting their share of it. All that's left was a huge pile of dirty dishes and an empty rice tub.

"Gochisou-sama deshita" they all said together at the end.

"Ahhhhh~" Yuyuko let out. The two subordinates sweat dropped as they watch their mistress lay back with a satisfied face, her stomach bulging as she let out a sigh of content. Ulquiorra turned his head towards Youmu, catching her attention.

"I must give respect to you, Youmu-san, for being able to handle this for as long as you have" Ulquiorra said as he began stroking her ghost half that was on his lap.

"Eheheh…" She said with a sheepish look, her left hand scratching behind her head "You'll get used to it eventually."

"…I see" He said doubtfully.

Looking back at Yuyuko, Ulquiorra found that Yuyuko seems to be falling back asleep again. Quickly, Ulquiorra remembered what he wanted to ask her.

"Yuyuko-sama, may I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?" Yuyuko answered, straightening a bit "What is it?"

"Why where you in bed with me?" he asked.

"Oh, that!" she said. She then assumed a thinking position, with her right hand on her chin and her left hand on her right arm "Well, I wanted to check up on Ulqi-kun to see if he was handling things well, so I snuck into his room so I can surprise him!"

"…You wanted to see how I was doing by catching me of guard?" Ulquiorra said in confusion. How does ambushing someone count as checking on their wellbeing?

"Yep!" Yuyuko said with a smile on her face, completely defying logic again "But when I went into your room, you were already asleep. It was no fun anymore, so I was going to go back to my room. But then, I suddenly felt really tired, and Ulqi-kun's futon looked very comfortable. So I just got in with you and slept there!"

A moment of complete silence followed Yuyuko's explanation. Both subordinates stared at their mistress, a look of disbelief plastered on their faces. Ulquiorra was perplexed. She's fine with sleeping in the same bed as someone she barely knew? That is indeed a dangerous habit. One would have to be a fool or completely confident about their capabilities to partake in such actions. He would like to that his mistress was the latter, but her air headed behavior leads him to think otherwise.

"Yuyuko-sama, it is not wise to sleep in a bed with a total stranger" Ulquiorra pointed out, with Youmu shaking her head in agreement. "You do not know what that person might do to you when you are asleep. He or she might take advantage of you and harm you in some way."

"But I wasn't sleeping with a stranger. I was sleeping with Ulqi-kun" she said cheerfully. "I'm sure that Ulqi-kun would never do anything to me!"

Ulquiorra didn't know what to think. To place that much trust on him when he had been there for barely a day. Even though he had no intention to harm her in any way, he couldn't help but question if she really is a fool or that she is an extremely good judge of character. Either way, if she saw fit to put that much trust in him, then he would try his best to live up to her image of him.

"…Unless if Ulqi-kun really did want to do something to me while we were sharing a futon" Yuyuko said with a flirtatious smile. Instantly, her fan was in her hand and covering the lower part of her face again. "If he really wanted to, then I probably wouldn't mind at all…"

At this, Youmu's face went beet red. Youmu's ghost half suddenly became a bit agitated, and seemed to angrily vibrate in his lap. As for Ulquiorra, for some reason, he felt an unknown chill travel through his back. Shaking off such a feeling, he calmed the ghost down as they resumed their discussion.

"…You do not need to worry yourself about that Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said. "You have my word that I would never bring any kind of harm towards you."

"Oh boo. You're no fun, Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said with a pouting face.

Letting out a breath, Ulquiorra rose from his seat, gesturing for Youmu's ghost half to move. "We should wash the dishes so we can begin doing the rest of the chores, Youmu-san."

"Right!" she said as she too rose from her seat. "Excuse us, Yuyuko-sama!"

"Don't mind me" she said with a smile. Then, she suddenly adopted a look of realization as she quickly turned towards Ulquiorra "Wait a second. Ulqi-kun, you forgot to make your heavenly tea for us today!"

"I did not forget, Yuyuko-sama" he said, his voice calm despite the implications. "I merely chose not to do so since we only have about three servings of tea left in stock."

"Already?" Yuyuko asked. "Youmu-chan, did you forget to pick up more when you went shopping yesterday?"

"No, Yuyuko-sama" she quickly denied, shaking her head. "I picked up quite a few bags last time that I went out. It's just that since Ulquiorra has made you the tea, you have been requesting it so much that our supplies have dwindled to such levels."

"Oh" Yuyuko said with an embarrassed smile. "Ehehe~ so it's my fault then."

"Indeed" Ulquiorra said bluntly. With that, black clouds of depression began forming above Yuyuko's head as her shoulders stooped, her eyes becoming downcast from the coldness of Ulquiorra's affirmation. "Thus, to make sure our tea supplies last as long as possible until we restock again, I have decided to make only one batch a day. That way, you should be able to still enjoy tea every day until we procure more."

"Wow, that's really smart thinking Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said in amazement, apparently already recovering from her depression.

"Thank you, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said, bowing towards her a little. He then bent down and picked up a stack of dishes. "Now, if you'll excuse us."

"Oh, sure go ahead!" Yuyuko said, gesturing for them to carry on. "I'll find something to amuse myself with."

Nodding his head, he continued carrying the dishes back into the kitchen to be washed, with Youmu and her ghost half closely behind him with their stacks of dishes.

* * *

Later, Ulquiorra found himself sweeping the courtyard of Hakugyokurou with his zanpakuto strapped to his waist. Though the sakura petals that are constantly present in the Netherworld were a beautiful sight, they tend to accumulate in the courtyard of the shrine and become a nuisance. As he swept the grounds, some of the small ghosts that were always present in the Netherworld floated around him, occasionally rubbing against him as we worked. He didn't mind their presence really. Over time, he actually came to enjoy their presence, feeling right at home among the spirits of the deceased. It was like hanging around them brought some comfort to him, and they were always attracted to him if he is nearby, so he was used to it.

They had already finished most of the day's work. The laundry (including Ulquiorra's jinbei) was taken care of, the gardens had been attended to, and the shrine was as clean as they could make it. All that left was for Ulquiorra to finish this job and he would be free to spend the rest of the day as he chooses.

Ulquiorra was glad for this. He wanted to have time to test his abilities, to see if they were still usable and if so to what extent. If his theory was right, then he should still have all the powers that he had when he was an Arrancar, if this morning's trial with Sonido told him anything. If this was true, then he should also be able to return his power to its usual level simply by training.

As he continued sweeping, Ulquiorra's gaze fell on the Saigyou Ayakashi, the largest sakura tree in the Netherworld. His eyes narrowed as he watched its form from afar, its bare branches poking out of the canopy of the rest of the sakura trees, covering the trees underneath it like an umbrella. Ever since he was acquainted with the tree, he could feel a sense of danger emanate from it. Yesterday, when he was introduced to the tree by Youmu, its odd energy signature caused Ulquiorra to analyze it further with his Pesquisa. The result was a tree with a massive amount of power, one that radiated malevolence and spite, threating to bring swift death to those who dared approach it. This power, however, was kept dormant by what Ulquiorra determined to be a seal of great power. What caught his curiosity was that the seal itself had the same reiatsu signature as Yuyuko. So does that mean Yuyuko was the one who was responsible for the seal itself, or was does it mean something else entirely? He has kept this fact to himself, and made a note to confront Yuyuko about it later.

Eventually, the final pedal was swept from the courtyard. Looking at his handiwork, Ulquiorra was satisfied with how things turned out. Though more will gather later on, at least it was clear for now. He walked towards the shrine shed, planning to put the instrument away then using his free time to evaluate his abilities. He had found a small clearing in the forest of sakura trees that was partially surrounded by boulders, a formation that was perfect for his training purposes. The boulders effectively blocked attacks and would prevent the surrounding area from being damaged. He did not want to deface any part of Hakugyokurou, and destroying sakura trees with a misfired Cero was a definite no.

After placing the broom in the shed, he made the trek toward the scouted location. Walking out of Hakugyokurou, Ulquiorra made his way towards the forest of sakura trees. As he plunged deeper into the thicket, he could feel a kind of peace befall upon him as the sakura trees created a serene atmosphere around the area. He had felt the same way when he first set his eyes the trees of the Netherworld, as their beauty was enough to capture his attention for an indefinite amount of time. Halfway to his destination, however, he found out through his senses that he was not the only one who thought the clearing was the perfect place to train.

The trees began to thin out a bit as he approached the clearing. Once they gave way, Ulquiorra was able to set his eyes on the lone form of the gardener of Hakugyokurou at the center of the clearing. Her eyes were closed, her expression calm as she held her katana in front of her. Her shorter sword is strapped to her back, along with the scabbard for her katana. Her posture was befitting that of a swordswoman, her balance perfect and her sword grip strong. Her ghost half was floating near her, staying as still as its human half as if waiting for something.

Ulquiorra watched silently as Youmu stood there, seemingly doing nothing but holding her stance. He knew better though. He could sense her manipulating her power, channeling it to certain parts of her body and the blade in her hands. Perhaps she was going to use a technique? He has seen similar use of energy when shinigami and hollow prepare to use a certain technique. If so, he would get a chance to see what kind of ability Youmu has and be able to gage her strength.

Suddenly, Youmu's eyes snapped open. She crouched low, her blade turned horizontal to the ground. Then, with speed that made her form a blur to the untrained eye, she took a step forward. Her glowing blade left a large blue streak as she sliced it through the air, hitting the imaginary foe that she had projected in her mind. When she came to a stop, it was like she had disappeared from one spot and reappeared in another, her sword in its forward position as it finished its arc.

What may have been impossible to follow with the naked eye was entirely visible to Ulquiorra's all-seeing gaze. He saw everything about her technique, every twitch of her muscle and every step that she took. He saw the blade become empowered with energy as her speed increased enormously, allowing her to make a slash at an impossible speed that would've been overkill to any normal human. Though nowhere near as fast as Ulquiorra and his Sonido, it was significant enough to catch his attention.

Youmu's stance relaxed as she let out a breath, one that she had been holding since the start of the technique. Her ghost half caught up to her, now floating lazily next to her head again.

"That was quite impressive, Youmu-san"

Youmu let out an "Eep!" as she jumped, startled by Ulquiorra's voice. She turns towards him and finally notices his presence.

"Did I startle you?" he asked rhetorically as he walked slowly toward her.

"H-Hai, Ulquiorra-san" she said embarrassedly as she rubbed the back of her head with her left hand. "Um, what are you doing here?"

"I saw this place when you put me to work with the sakura trees yesterday" Ulquiorra said. "I thought it was a suitable place for training purposes, so I was going to spend my free time here."

"Oh…so it's not just me how thinks that" Youmu said as she clutched her sword behind her, like she was guilty for doing something bad. "Ano…how much did you see, Ulquiorra-san?"

"Since you started using that technique." Ulquiorra answered, stopping a few feet in front of her.

"R-Really?" she said as she blushed. "I'm not that good, am I?"

"Lying to yourself serves no purpose." Ulquiorra said, trademark stoic face still fully displayed. "From what I observed, you have more skill than most swordsmen. Humans would kill to gain that kind of talent, Youmu-san."

"R-Really?" she said again, her expression brightening a bit. "Well, it's one of my spell cards, so it's not like I can do it all the time… "

"Spell card?" Ulquiorra questioned, unfamiliar to the terminology.

"Eh? Oh, that's right!" Youmu exclaimed. "We never told you about Gensokyo's battling system!"

"There is a system for conflict in Gensokyo?" Ulquiorra asked curiously, though it did make sense. From what he was told, Gensokyo's human and youkai community was a bit under tension. So it would make sense to create some kind of system for conflict between the races. "Can you elaborate?"

"Of course, I was planning to in the first place." Youmu said as she settled down for a long explanation. "We can't have you walking around Gensokyo without knowing something so important!"

She opened her mouth and began.

* * *

[Girls are explaining….]

* * *

"…and that's what the Spell Card System is." Youmu said, finishing a part of her speech.

"I see" Ulquiorra said with a contemplating look while Youmu's ghost half rested on his head, having made its way there unnoticed by Youmu during the discussion to join the smaller ghosts that hung around him.

This "Spell Card System" was larger than he had first thought it was. When Youmu said battling system, he had presumed that it was just something that is agreed upon between the two races. It was, however, some kind of rule that encompasses all of Gensokyo, affecting every person living within this realm. It stops all kind of physical damage and prevented unnecessary death while providing a kind of conflict resolution, with the "winner take all" rule applying to every match. What interested Ulquiorra more, however, was the amount of energy that would be needed create such a reality-bending rule. Ulquiorra had met no one that had that kind of power before, and he wondered where it had all come from. And more importantly, how did they event accomplish it?

The other thing that made Ulquiorra raise an eyebrow was the existence magic. It was implied in the last information session, but he never understood that it really meant. Sure, where he came from people were doing all sorts of supernatural things, and the shinigami's Kido came to Ulquiorra's mind when Youmu first mentioned spells. But never in any instance was the term "magic" invoked. What is at work here in Gensokyo, however, seem to be genuine magic, which can be used to do many impossible things like flying and causing miracles to happen. It is also an immense source of destructive power, if the scale of the Spell Card battles that Youmu described were true. This again caused Ulquiorra to question the strength of the individuals in Gensokyo.

"Now then, on to the specifics of a Spell Card battle" Youmu continued. "In a match, opponents would usually shoot Danmaku bullets at each other while trying to hurt each other in any way possible."

"Danmaku bullets?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Here, let me show you" she said as she got up.

She then unsheathed her sword and faced a particular rock formation on the edge of the clearing. Raising her sword above her head, she quickly gathered some magical energy into the sword. Then, she swung the sword down, forming four greenish blue energy bullets that travel at a relatively fast speed towards the rock. When they hit, the bullets took chucks out of the rock while leaving several scorch marks as they dissipated.

"Danmaku bullets are different from person to person, and the rate at which they are fired are also depends on the person's power." She said, turning back towards Ulquiorra. "A person could also fire other things during battle, like beams of energy or other potent energy projectiles."

"Understood" Ulquiorra said. "What of physical attacks like sword strikes?"

"They are also allowed, but they also do not do lethal damage to the opponent" Youmu answered. "The System prevents lethal damage of any kind, but does not get rid of the pain that comes with attacks."

"What of the Spell Cards?"

"Spells Cards are ways that you can use some of your most powerful techniques in battle." Youmu answered. "The move that I used before was also a Spell Card, this one to be exact."

She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a card. She handed to Ulquiorra, who studied the card with interest.

"Human Sign [Slash of Present]?" He asked.

"Yep! Each Spell card has its own unique name to represent it essence." Youmu said. "Spell Cards can range to really good physical attacks to really large Danmaku barrages with more powerful projectiles."

"How is one made?"

"Hey usually form when you develop an attack that is considered Spell Card level by the system" she said.

"And how are battles won?" Ulquiorra questioned further.

"When the opponents are knocked out from the pain, of course!" she said with a smile.

"I see…" he said as he absorbed the new information. It was easy to understand. Opponents would fight each other with their magical abilities, and use spell card when they think it would be most effective. What concerned him the most was how his abilities, if he still had them, would work in a world like this. Did his techniques have any ties to this world? Are they considered "magic"? If he still had his Hierro, would these bullets be able to damage him? What of his Cero? What would happen if he were to use it? As his thoughts were full of questions, Youmu decided to speak up.

"Well, to survive in Gensokyo, you should definitely consider developing your own Danmaku and Spell Cards, Ulquiorra-san" Youmu urged him. "Don't worry, you probably would be able to so easily if the amount of power Yuyuko and I sense in you is as large as it is."

This alarmed him a bit. So they do have some kind of spiritual sense, or magical sense if you were to go by local standards. It's a good thing that he was not at full power and that he subconsciously suppresses his power, or else it might've been a cause for alarm to his two acquaintances. He would have to be careful, if they suspect too much it might blow this cover too soon. He does not want his true nature to be revealed this early for it might hinder his plans to learn more about the heart.

Plus, there was something inside of him, something that told him it would be bad if they were to learn about his past. It was like every time that he thought about them finding out about his past, a sharp pain could be felt coming from his newfound heart.

"…I understand" Ulquiorra said as he stood up. Sitting and theorizing would do him little good. It was time he did what he came here to do: train. "I shall get started immediately."

"It usually takes some time to develop Spell Cards and magical projectiles though" Youmu pointed out. "Even with someone of your potential, it could take a while before you could perform magic."

Ulquiorra stayed silent as he stared at his hand. He did not know any magic, nor does he understand how it works. So many possibilities right before him, yet he does not know how to harness it. Perhaps he could seek out an instructor, or find a source of knowledge on the matter somewhere in Gensokyo. For now, however, he would have to see about his abilities.

"I can try to teach you about magic, but I'm sorry that I won't be much help" she said apologetically as she too stood up. "I don't know much about it except the techniques that I use. I'm actually still learning myself."

"It's fine" Ulquiorra answered. He did not know anything about Danmaku bullets and any other projectiles that are used in Gensokyo. But if it was bullets, then he had something.

The small ghosts that hung around him scattered along with Youmu's ghost half, seemingly anticipating his actions. He pointed his right hand towards the rock that Youmu had used to demonstrate and channeled his power. If this worked, then it would prove his theory.

He is going to try using Bala.

His right hand became engulfed in red energy as he concentrated, shaping the reiatsu into the bullets that Arrancars used. Encouraged by the positive reaction, Ulquiorra took the final step in the move: he released the energy.

Youmu watched openmouthed as the energy around Ulquiorra's hand was released, forming an incredibly fast red bullet that sped toward the rock. On impact, the single bullet took a huge chunk out of the rock formation, causing dust and small rocks to explode form the impact area. When the dust settled down, a large blackened hole could be seen on the rock formation, dwarfing the smaller holes that Youmu made with her bullets.

"…A….Ah…" Youmu stuttered out. She couldn't believe it. On his first try, he was able to create such a powerful bullet. Without any instructions to boot!

Ulquiorra's had sparked with the red energy that he had released. He clenched and unclenched his right hand. That Bala was a bit slower and less powerful than the one he was used to. Perhaps it had to do with his weaker state. He would have to train to regain his full power if that was the case.

So now it was proven that his abilities were still useable even in his new state. Does that mean he was still a hollow? He still did not know that answer, as he could definitely feel that he had changed in some way since he died by the hands of Kurosaki Ichigo. Had something caused him to change, or was this something natural that happened to all who suffered the same fate as he did? He did not have enough information to answer those questions right now, and he was beginning to wonder if he ever will.

Putting that matter aside, there was one more thing that he wanted to try, one more thing do to prove to himself that he still had this powers. Pointing a finger towards the sky, as he does not want to damage anything on the ground, he began collecting energy at the tip of his index finger.

Youmu continued watching as green energy began collecting into a small ball at the tip of Ulquiorra's finger. At first it started out about twice the size of this fingertip, with energy going towards it in lines from the surroundings. Then, it got smaller, the ball of energy consolidating into a more potent form as it stopped taking in more energy.

The ghosts that flew in the heavens scattered, anticipating that something big was coming their way. Finally, as his Cero was ready, Ulquiorra released the energy that he stored. The small ball of energy then exploded into an extremely large green beam of energy, one that grew to a certain size as it traveled farther from him. The beam of energy tore through the atmosphere, bathing its surroundings with an ethereal glow as it travels into the sky. As it passed through the clouds, it caused them to scatter in every direction away from the beam, forming a hole amongst its ranks. Rings of green energy pulsated from where the beam originated, making its strength noticeable to all within the immediate vicinity.

As the last of the energy was released, Ulquiorra was mentally satisfied that one of his most powerful attacks was still usable. As he lowered his right hand a bright light came into existence in front of him. Ulquiorra instinctively closed his eyes, opening them only after the brightness receded. There, rotating in midair in front of him, was a glowing card. Curiously, Ulquiorra reach his free hand towards it and grabbed it out of the air. As his hand made contact with the card, its glow dissipated, revealing a card much like the Spell Card that Youmu showed him.

At the top of the card was an inscription that said "Hollow Sign [Cero]." Below it was a picture of him performing said cero, pointing it in front of him while he was standing straight. Below the picture is a description of the attack, which was quite accurate according to Ulquiorra.

So this was how a Spell Card was made. He noted that the power of his Cero was considered strong enough to be considered a Spell Card. That means that there is a certain magnitude of destructive force that the attack had to reach before it was considered Spell Card worthy. He filed this information away in case he wanted to create more spell cards.

"T-That was amazing, Ulquiorra-san!" Youmu exclaimed, her face filled with awe as she witnessed the Ulquiorra's strength. To be able to make such a powerful Spell Card moments after it was explained to him. Just how much power and talent did he have? "That was an extremely strong Spell Card! You're good at this!"

"It is nothing special" Ulquiorra said to her. "This is a regular occurrence to me."

"Eh? You've done something like this before?" Youmu asked, curious about what he said.

"Where I came from, people like me are able to do the same things that I did" he answered as ambiguously as possible, avoiding giving away his past.

"Really? Wow…" she said as she continued staring at him. She was a bit jealous at him for being able to do so much in such a short time while she had to work hard for her strength. If his people were able to do such things at will, then they must be really powerful. "So you were born with all of your abilities?"

"Not entirely" he answered, not oblivious to her distress. "I had to learn swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat by myself. The Bala and Cero, however, are native to my people."

"Bala and Cero?" she asked, a bit satisfied that at least his skill with the sword was earned through work.

"Bala is the name those bullets that I shot out. You could say that they are our Danmaku bullets, though they are a bit different" Ulquiorra said. "Cero is the name of the beam of energy I shot."

Ulquiorra handed Youmu the Spell Card for he to examine. She took it and read through the description. As she did so, her ghost half decided that it was safe enough to return to Ulquiorra's head and use it as a resting place again.

"Perhaps the techniques were somehow adjusted to the rules of this place when I first entered it" Ulquiorra said, more or less thinking out loud as he contemplated the change of the nature of his abilities. "They certainly do fit into some of the aspects of the Spell Card System perfectly."

"That would make a bit of sense" Youmu handed the Spell Card back to Ulquiorra. "Though it allows for a lot of leeway when it comes to the nature of spell card battles, the system does tend to enforce its order upon the inhabitants of Gensokyo so that fights can be fair."

"I see" Ulquiorra said. He then decided to change the subject before it got any deeper into his personal life. "Can I ask you something, Youmu-san?"

"Huh? What is it?" she replied.

"I wish to get stronger than I am right now" Ulquiorra said, his voice full of conviction. "Though it might inconvenience you, might I also use his place for my training purposes?"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" Youmu quickly said with a smile as she waved her hands in front of her. "You can use this place as much as you want, Ulquiorra-san! It's not like I own it or anything."

"Would it also be a bother if I ask for to spar with you now and then?"

"I would love to spar with you, Ulquiorra-san!" she said immediately. She had wanted to pit her skills against another swordsman for some time now, to see how good she was as a swordswoman. She also wanted to see how skilled Ulquiorra was with the sword too. "If both of us have free time in the future, then I would gladly cross swords with you!"

"I see, thank you Youmu-san" he said as he bowed a bit, with Youmu's ghost half still clinging to his head.

"Oh, you don't need to thank me, Ulquiorra-san" she said as she blushed a bit, her left hand finding its way behind her head again as a goofy grin appeared on her face.

"Ara ara, what's this?"

Youmu jumped a bit as she was startled, letting out an "eep!" in the process. Both turned towards the source of the voice, finding Yuyuko walking slowly towards their position as she fanned herself lazily with her usual fold-up fan.

"Y-Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was relaxing on the veranda when I saw a huge beam of energy fire straight into the sky from somewhere in the sakura trees" Yuyuko said as she stop a few feet from them, a teasing look plastered all over her face. "I wondered what was going on so I flew over here to find out. And when I got closer guess what I found? My gardener getting friendly with my tea-maker!"

Youmu blushed as what her mistress implied, becoming a stuttering mess as she stood there pushing her index fingers together in front of her. Ulquiorra just sweat dropped at being called a tea-maker. So that was what he was to her?

"N-Nothing like that happened, Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu stuttered out as she frantically waved her hands in front of her, her blush at full intensity. If one were to take a look at her ghost half that is resting on Ulquiorra's head, one would see that it was also blushing, probably in agreement with its human half.

"Oh? Then why where you blushing when I got here, Youmu-chan?" she said why a sly look.

"U-Uh…well…umm" she stammered, having a hard time defending herself due to her embarrassment.

"We did not do anything of that sort, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra spoke up, defending their stance in Youmu's stead since she seemed to be incompacitated right now. "Youmu-san was just explaining to me about Gensokyo's Spell Card System."

"Oh? Is that so?" Yuyuko said, her fan covering the lower part of her face as usual.

"That is so" Ulquiorra replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gensokyo

* * *

"H-Help!" said a man in his forties as he ran through a dark forest as fast as he could. Flying closely behind him is what appears to be a blond child wearing dark clothing with a red ribbon in her hair. She was smiling insanely as she chased the man through the forest.

"Haha! You can't run forever, human! I'll catch up to you and then…a…ah…AHCHOO!"

The girl sneezed, causing her eyes to close involuntarily. And because her eyes were closed, she could not see the tree that she was on a direct crush course with.

BAM!

"OWOWOWOWOW!" She said as she landed on the ground with a sizable bump on her head. Tears were falling out of her eyes like waterfalls as she cried. "WAAAA! That hurts!"

The man couldn't believe his luck.

"I-I'm saved! Thank the gods!" he said as he sped out of the forest, seeking the safety of his village.

* * *

"Okay! I believe you, Ulqi-kun!" she said with a smile. "But then what really happened?"

"Oh, Ulquiorra managed to create his own Spell Card and Danmaku bullets!" Youmu said, snapping out of her reverie. "All only moments after the concept was explained to him too!"

"Really? That's fantastic!" Yuyuko said with a look of astonishment. "You must be really talented, Ulqi-kun!"

"Thank you, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said as he bowed towards her. "I do not deserve such compliments."

"Nonsense!" Yuyuko said. Then, her expression turned into a cheerful one as she spread her arms apart "I know! An achievement like this deserves a celebration!"

"E-Eh?!" Youmu said. She had a nagging feeling that this would lead to undesired on her part. "How are we going to do that?"

"A feast of course!" Yuyuko said, as if stating the obvious. "A big feast, one fit for a king!"

"B-But Yuyuko-sama! You just had lunch!" Youmu said pleadingly, in hopes that she would reconsider.

"Ah, but it's almost evening already Youmu-chan!" she said, pointing out the time of the day.

Youmu realized that what she said was true, as the sun was slowly on its way towards the ground. Finally, she drooped her head as she accepted her fate, with Yuyuko smiling happily as if in victory.

"Let's go, Ulqi-kun, Youmu-chan!" Yuyuko said as she dragged Ulquiorra, who still had Youmu's ghost half on his head, with her towards Hakugyokurou. "We're going to have lots of fun!"

Youmu, who had just noticed them leaving without her, suddenly straightened from her drooping position. "Ah! Wait for me!"

Throughout all of this, Ulquiorra was thinking to himself. There were still many things that he did not understand about Gensokyo and its inhabitants. He was curious about all of it, about Gensokyo's history, about the kind of individuals who inhabit it, and about what magic is. Sadly, he was starting to believe that he would not be able to find much here in the Netherworld. Thus, there was only one way he would be able to satisfy his need for knowledge.

Perhaps it was time that he saw the rest of Gensokyo himself.

Author's Notes:

Well, that was the third chapter for you. Sorry it took so long, give me a break. I'm a high school senior on the last legs of his primary school education experience. There are latterly SHITLOADS of crap that I have to do. Here's some good news though. Since I just finished all of my online classes, I would have more free time to write than usual. So rejoice.

I wasn't feeling my best when I was writing the last of this chapter, so sorry if it came out as a bit shitty. I was having problem thinking with all the things that was going on with my life. That, and my parents keep nagging about studying when I'm practically studying ninety percent of my life, with the other ten percent being allocated to sleeping and eating. Having Asian parents can sometimes be a bit of a drag.

A little bit more about the direction that this story is taking. Let me make it clear to all of you that this WILL be a harem fic. No amount of whining will cause me to change my mind. I have it all planned out in my head, so there is no room modifications on this matter. If you don't like it, don't read it. I'm just writing this fic because I wanted to write something besides college application essays all the time anyways. Still debating whether if I should add lemons though.

As for other matters, one of my reviewers asked me about the time period as which this fic is taking place. Well, my plan is to have Ulquiorra play through the entire Touhou franchise starting with Perfect Cherry Blossom. Yes, Ulquiorra will play a part in every game that came after PCB. For those fans of ESD, don't fret. I planned involve the girls of SDM in a filler arc. Can't have a Touhou without my precious Flandre anyways.

To make a correction from the last author's notes, I have realized that Hisoutensoku really didn't have any fight in the air at all. So I'm going make a correction and say that the fighting system will have more fights in the air that that of Hisoutensoku. So think Touhou Sky Area combined with Hisoutensoku.

Anyways, that's all. Please leave me a review so that I would be motivated to keep writing. Flames will again be ignored as usual, so don't even try. Have a nice day.


	4. The start of a new experience

_Disclaimer: I do not hold ownership over Bleach or Touhou_

* * *

_Dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! You have to believe it. Otherwise, you couldn't possibly explain the beauty of the cherry blossoms. I was restless, lately, because I couldn't believe in this beauty. But I have now finally understood: dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! You have to believe it._

* * *

Morning graces the Netherworld once again. The sun was barely showing its face above the horizon, bathing the sea of with its amber glow. The trees swayed lazily as usual, occasionally shedding a petal as the wind blew through their branches.

At a certain clearing surrounded by boulders in the forest of cherry blossoms, a lone figure can be seen in the center. Standing straight and tall, the pale-skinned individual was dressed in a white jinbei with a katana strapped to his left hip. His eyes were closed, he expression the epitome of calm as he waited patiently for something. His right hand was on the hilt of his sword and his left on the scabbard, seemingly preparing to draw it on a short notice.

Ulquiorra remained still, his grip on his sword's hilt relaxed. No matter how long it takes, he will wait for it. After all, patience was a virtue that he was not without. He knew that eventually what he is waiting for will come to him.

His patience paid off as what he was waiting for finally arrived. On one of the trees that surrounded the clearing, a single sakura petal broke off of. Carried by the wind, the pedal flew slowly into the clearing. As its pink form nears Ulquiorra, he knew that what was promised had arrived.

His grip in his katana tightened in an instant. His draw was smooth and precise, his blade a blur as he swung it in front of him. As quickly as it came out of his scabbard, the blade returned back into it.

For a second, nothing visible happened, the petal continued on its path set by the wind. Then, the sakura petal split cleanly in half, cut straight through the center as its pieces continued into the wind. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. To a person observing him, it was as if he never drew his blade at all and that the petal just spontaneously split on its own accord. Any swordsman worth his salt would know that it would take an inhuman amount skill to actually be able to slice a single sakura petal in midflight, let alone do it completely blinded.

Ulquiorra let out a satisfied breath as he opened his eyes and watch the result of his morning practice. Lifting his right hand up in front of his face, he clenched and unclenched it, sis eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

He still wasn't as strong as he had been. He could feel it in him, that small chunk of power that he had wasn't there anymore, and it bothered him. After spending his life wondering Hueco Mundo as a Vasto Lorde after his comrades refused to accept him, he had learned that strength was everything. If you were weak, you would be eaten by multitudes of hollows that roam its deserted wasteland, always looking for a meal so that they could grow in power and evolve. With this in mind, Ulquiorra is determined to regain what strength he had lost. Besides, who knows what Gensokyo had in store for him?

Speaking of practice, that was the 20th petal this morning. He had woken up hours earlier, even before the sun was up. As you look around, you will also see that the boulders surrounding the clearing are littered with huge craters with fist marks at the centers of every one of them. If you look longer, you can even figure out that some of the smaller boulders were actually part of a bigger boulder, which had been destroyed by the same crater-creating force. Ulquiorra hadn't only been working on his swordplay since morning after all.

When they did not have any free time yesterday, Ulquiorra found out that it was not guaranteed that he would have time to train if he were to wait out the rest of the day. The chores that he had to perform could take the entire day even with Youmu's help. It may seem that having extra hands would make things faster, but all it seemed to do was gave Youmu an excuse to do more work each day. She said that with his help she could do things that she would not be able to finish in one day, adding even more work to their repertoire.

It had been a day since Yuyuko had decided to throw a party for him since he had created his first Spell Card and Danmaku bullets. Honestly, he didn't even know why she did it. It's not like he did anything special, it was what he did on a daily basis in the past. Even when he told her this, she still insisted that they celebrated. Judging from the way that she caused a mountain of food to suddenly disappear during the party, he was starting to think that it was just her excuse to eat more.

As Ulquiorra's thoughts wondered to the ghost princess again, he let out a sigh. That morning, when he had woken up, he found that she had decided to sleep in his bed again. She didn't do so yesterday, so he just brushed it aside as a one-time thing. But there she was, sleeping with her head on his chest again. He couldn't figure out why she kept doing that, as her less-than adequate explanation from the day before didn't tell him anything. Was it because of his futon? Maybe it was more comfortable than hers. She did say that his futon "looked really comfortable" before she promptly slid in bed with him. He should ask her about it again, though he is starting to think that he might never get the answer.

Looking towards the rising sun, Ulquiorra figures that it's about time he headed back. Youmu should be waking soon, so he should get a head start on making breakfast.

Kicking off the ground, Ulquiorra shot towards Hakugyokurou. Since he had figured out that his abilities were still useable, he has taken to utilizing them more often. Flying was normal in Gensokyo, as he found out, and it would be to his disadvantage if he didn't.

Ever since the day before, his curiosity about the rest of Gensokyo never wavered. He still wanted to see what kind of place this world is and what kind of people live in it. He had many questions that he wanted answers to, and he believed that a good portion of them could be found if he were to see the entirety of Gensokyo for himself. And, deep down, something told him that he should go. A nagging feeling in his chest seemed to urge him to see what's outside of the Netherworld, and it wasn't because of his curiosity. Perhaps it was trying to tell him something, but whatever it was still eludes him.

In the end, he resolved to go. Hollows were creatures of instinct, and if his instinct told him to go, then he felt obligated to. Even though he was technically not a hollow anymore (?), a part of him couldn't let go of the feeling that he was somehow still related to them. He still had his hollow powers, after all.

So the problem as to how exactly he was supposed to go came up. He had explored the entirety of the Netherworld already. It wasn't a huge place, but it still spanned a couple hundred or so acres. Besides Hakugyokurou in the center, the entire place was mostly filled with sakura trees, with the occasional river here and there, along with that giant bare tree that sat in a hill higher than the rest of the Sakura trees. Coming out of the ghost shrine was a path untouched by the trees which went on for a bit before it reached a long and large set of stairs that led down, lit by rows of lanterns that seemed to burn infinitely. Following the stairs, he came upon another barrier that made it seem like the stairs suddenly ended. He gathered that this was the exit of the Netherworld, and that he would need to cross this barrier to access the rest of Gensokyo.

The problem wasn't that he couldn't cross it, as his hand slid through easily enough even when he could tell the barrier was particularly powerful. The problem was that he couldn't find a reason to skip his duties for the sole benefit of satisfying his curiosity. He had agreed to work for Yuyuko and aid Youmu, and it would seem like he was finding an excuse to skip his duties if he were to just ask to leave and explore. He could tell that Youmu was beginning to reply on him more, and he did not want to break the trust that she had in him. No, he needed a legitimate reason to leave.

As he neared Hakugyokurou, Ulquiorra came to a conclusion. He would have to wait until their next free day to ask to go outside. It was the most cost-effective solution, even though it was not as fast as he preferred.

He landed on the courtyard and continued to walk towards the kitchen. It seems like he had beaten Youmu to the job today, as he could sense that she was still in her room. Yet another benefit to waking up abnormally early.

Setting his zanpakuto to the side, Ulquiorra went to put on his apron. As he saw the form of his apron hanging on a hook next to Youmu's apron. For some reason, the longer he looked at it, the more dislike he seemed to feel for it. He didn't know why, but the multitude of flowers adjourning the piece of clothing seemed to irk him.

Sighing in defeat, Ulquiorra proceeded to looping it around his neck. Beggars can't be choosers, and his jinbei would be a mess without it.

With preparation done, Ulquiorra began pondering about what to make that morning. Though Yuyuko would probably eat anything that you put in front of her, it would be quite boring to eat the same thing every day. Perhaps he could make something that he had seen before once when he and been in Karakura town. What did the humans call it again? Ramen? It seemed simple enough to make, just mold some kind of flour dough into strings, boil them, add meat and vegetables, and serve it in a broth. A majority of the meal is made of water too, so it might be able to fill Yuyuko up without making much of a dent in their food supplies.

Though he only had three days' worth of cooking experience, he felt confident enough to try making something for once. One cannot get far by just watching others do things, after all. Sometimes, you just have to experience it yourself. He didn't get good at making tea by sitting around after all.

With his mind set on making the dish, Ulquiorra remembered about the book of recipes that Youmu kept on the counter. Over the years of cooking for Yuyuko Youmu has amassed quite the amount of recipes for food that she had tried to make, all of it compiled into a large book. Walking to the book and opening it, Ulquiorra began looking through it and noting all the different foods that there was. Apparently she had the same idea that he did, as the variety of the foods available was quite high. Flipping through the book, he search for the food that he wanted to make, finding it somewhere in the middle. Reading the recipe, Ulquiorra found that they had enough ingredients to make it. And judging by the time it would take to prepare it, he should be done just in time for Yuyuko to wake up.

Leaving the book open, Ulquiorra began gathering the ingredients. As he went through the cabinets, his eyes narrowed. They were running extremely low on food. In fact, it seems like they had just enough to get through the rest of the day.

Ulquiorra sighed. It seems that his party took a huge chunk out of the food stores. They would need to resupply today of they were to continue to feed Yuyuko's insatiable hunger.

And then, it hit him. Realization dawned on his face as he began to formulate a plan.

Perhaps he would get to see Gensokyo today after all…

* * *

Youmu yawned as she walked towards the kitchen, her ghost half following her lazily. Even after the bath she took, she was still tired. Yesterday was harsh, and it was only out of habit that she woke up at the same time that she did every day. She sighed at the prospect of still having to cook for her mistress. Maybe she really should cut back on the chores she keeps putting on herself.

As she neared the kitchen, Youmu's nose was assaulted by the sweet smell of food. Her eyes went wide as she heard the sound of pounding reverberating throughout the kitchen on a regular interval.

Quickly, she analyzed the situation. Did someone break into the shrine? It was a bit unlikely, seeing as that there was no one else in the Netherworld besides Yuyuko, Ulquiorra, and herself, and that there was a barrier separating this place and the rest of Gensokyo. And besides, why would they be in the kitchen? Wouldn't it make since for them to try to steal something valuable, rather than use their kitchen to cook?

Slowly, she crept closer to the kitchen door. Her ghost half flew closer to her, apparently on alert as well. Making as little noise as possible, she approached the screen door and reached for the edge.

Sliding the screen open, Youmu was amazed to find Ulquiorra pounding what appears to be some kind of dough rigorously. Each time his fist landed on the dough, the force was enough to send a loud bang throughout the entire kitchen, causing the items on the countertop to jump. Looking around Youmu also noticed that some pots were also on the stove, boiling away while letting out a sweet aroma.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Youmu-san" Ulquiorra said without turning to face her, his attention solely on the piece that he is working on.

"Ah!" Youmu exclaimed in surprise, turning quickly towards Ulquiorra. "O-Ohayou, Ulquiorra-san."

Finally grasping the situation, she became a little miffed that someone managed to beat her to making breakfast, even when no one usually does. That feeling, however, was overshadowed by her curiosity. When she had taught Ulquiorra how to cook the past few days, she was surprised that he had actually caught on pretty quickly. Though it was kind of hinted when he could actually produce such delicious tea, she didn't know that that kind of skill would carry over to actual cooking. So if Ulquiorra decided to cook by himself, she was pretty sure that she didn't have to worry about him failing.

Well, maybe just a bit.

"Umm…what are you making, Ulquiorra-san?" Youmu questioned.

Without taking his attention away from the dough he was kneading, he lifted a hand and pointed towards Youmu's open cookbook on the countertop.

Understanding the gesture, Youmu walked towards the open book. Meanwhile, her ghost half separated from her and flew toward Ulquiorra. It then decided to get comfortable on his head, a position that it seems to like as evidenced by the shade red that it has on its "face". Ulquiorra himself didn't mind, and was getting used to the blob's antics, much to Youmu's embarrassment.

"Ah, so that's what you're making" Youmu said. "But wait, making the noodles usually takes a long time. Combined with making the broth and the other sides, it usually takes over an hour to make. We didn't even have any noodles prepared beforehand."

"That is correct." Ulquiorra said while swinging the stretched dough up and down.

"So…when did you wake up, Ulquiorra-san?"

"About four hours ago"

"…"

Youmu stood there open-mouthed. Four hours? The sun still wasn't up by then!

"Aren't you tired?" she asked.

"No, I usually don't sleep very much" Ulquiorra said while. It was not a lie. Though he does sleep now and then, it was but a very rare luxury for him. Even the fortified walls of Las Noches gave him little comfort. That combined with the awkward fact that Yuyuko was attached to his side again made staying in bed less desirable.

Accepting the explanation, Youmu followed the sweet aroma to the boiling pot of broth. Looking inside, Youmu was able to recognize most of the ingredients in it. However, some of the things Ulquiorra put in the broth weren't what she specified in her book.

"Ano…Ulquiorra-san" Youmu spoke. "These weren't the ingredients I wrote in the book for the broth."

"No, they are not" Ulquiorra said as the stretched the dough in between his fingers, the final step in making the noodles. "I made a few adjustments when I finished your recipe. I believed that I could improve it, so it added a few things."

True to his words, Youmu saw a few things like a whole skinned tomato and onions floating. At this, Youmu became skeptical.

"Eh? Are you sure this is going to work, Ulquiorra-san?" Youmu asked. "I mean, I don't want to offend you or anything but…"

"I understand" Ulquiorra said abruptly. In his hands were the finished noodles, all stretched into thin long strings characteristic of all ramen noodles. Cutting them up into desirable lengths, Ulquiorra then carried them over to a waiting pot and deposited them. He then walked over to the pot of broth, took up a ladle, and gestured for Youmu to come closer.

Nodding slowly, Youmu moved towards him. As she stopped a few inches away from him, Ulquiorra spooned a bit of broth from the pot and carried the ladle towards her. As she stopped in front of Ulquiorra, Youmu moved to take the ladle off of his hand. Ulquiorra, however, just stood there holding the ladle towards her, not responding to her gesture. Before Youmu could question him about his actions, Ulquiorra provided her with a simple answer.

"Open your mouth."

"…EH?!" Youmu exclaimed, the color on her face approaching that of a tomato. Quickly contemplating why he asked her to do that, Youmu came up with an answer that make her even more embarrassed than she was. "Y-You don't h-have to do that Ulquiorra-san. I-I can do it myself."

Even after saying that Ulquiorra refused to budge. Apparently, he refused to trust the pride of his work with her. He just continued to stand there and give her an expectant look. Under the pressure of his gaze, Youmu grew even redder. Finally, looking to the side, she managed to stutter something out.

"W-Well…if you i-insist…"

Gathering her courage, Youmu closed her eyes and faced Ulquiorra. She shakily opened her mouth just a tiny bit, barely enough to drink something out of a ladle.

Receiving the signal of approval, Ulquiorra moved the ladle towards her mouth. Gently touching her lips with the ladle's edge, Ulquiorra tipped the ladle towards Youmu, feeding her the broth that he considered to be his most recent crowning achievement. As the last of the liquid entered her lips Ulquiorra moved the ladle back and watched her reaction.

Youmu, for her part, was reacting in the most logical way when faced with a situation such as this: slack-jawed and glassy eyed with a look of pure ecstasy. With her heart racing at a mile a minute, she had consumed a liquid that was comparable to the nectar of the gods. It was salty yet sweet with the right proportions, with a million other flavors that were all combined at just the right amount to complement each other and create the most exquisite broth that had ever graced her tongue. Though it pained her a bit, Youmu could definitely say that the ramen she had made in the past could never compare to this.

Ulquiorra could not disconcert this from her expression, however. Tilting his head to the side in a slight show of confusion, Ulquiorra asked Youmu. "Youmu-san? What is wrong?"

Alas, he would get not answer, as Youmu was still in a cationic state as she basked in heavenly feeling that she had received from consuming the broth that he had created. Curiously, Ulquiorra waved a hand in front of her face to try to get a reaction out of her. When he got none, Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. Walking back towards the simmering pot, Ulquiorra used the same ladle to spoon up the broth to taste-test it himself. While doing this, it just so happens that his lips touched the same exact spot that Youmu's lips had touched while she had been the one using it, a fact that somehow did not escape the paralyzed state of Youmu's senses.

And thus, when Ulquiorra finished confirming that there was nothing wrong with his creation and turned towards Youmu again, he beheld a sight of Youmu pushing her index fingers together with her head bowed down. The skin on her entire head seemed to have traded places with a tomato's, as it was so red that it seemed like it would burn you if you touched it. While thinking this, Ulquiorra could also feel like the area on his head was also heating up. Looking up, Ulquiorra saw that Youmu's ghost half also mimicked the color of her human half's face.

"Youmu-san? Are you unwell?" he said with narrowed eyes, a look that could pass as concern.

"Ah..AH!" Youmu said, snapping out of her stupor. Quickly waving her hands in front of her comically, she answered with haste. "I-It's nothing! I'm fine Ulquiorra-san!"

"Are you sure? What about what happened a moment ago?" Ulquiorra asked quizzically.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine" she replied. "It's just that…it was so good Ulquiorra-san! I've never tasted ramen stock that was that good before! It was so good that it stunned me for a bit you see…"

"Oh? Is that so?"

* * *

_Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gensokyo…_

* * *

In a familiar dark forest, we come to see a small boy lost amongst the trees. His face moist with tears, he fearfully glanced around him as he walked towards a single directions. As with everyone back in the village, he knew the consequences of getting lost in this particular forest.

"Okaa-san….*sob*"

The boy let out more tears, scared out of his wits and wondering when he would lose his life in such an ominous place. Little did he know that he was being followed.

"Hehehe…"

The one following the boy let out a chuckle that could not be heard by him, a familiar blonde haired child a red ribbon in her hair. For quite some time now, she had been shadowing the boy. She had been toying with her meal, as she took pleasure in such a morbid action. Finally, she decide that it was time to end it and collect her meal. She prepared to pounce.

"At long last, a decent meal. Now, I'll finally…ah…Ah…AHCHOO!"

The resulting sneeze was so thunderous that it startled the birds resting in nearby trees, causing them to fly away noisily. Faced with such a force, the girl could do nothing but close her eyes while she set it out. As she recovered, she quickly looked towards to her prey, only to find that the little boy she had set her eyes on was no longer there. It would take her another half an hour to give up looking for him.

"*sob*…WAAAH! I'M HUNGRY! *sob*"

* * *

"Yeah…" Youmu said shyly.

"I'm glad it is up to your standards." Ulquiorra said with his usual stoic face. "This is the first time I have tried my hand at culinary creations, and I was unsure if it would be edible or not. The most I have been doing in the past was tea."

"Really?" Youmu said. So he really wasn't faking it when he asked to learn to cook from her the past few days. She was now a little more miffed at his inherent talent. It took her a few years to be able to cook as well as she could now, while it only took him a few days to cook even better than her. While on this train of thought, another question popped in her head. "Wait, if you weren't sure if you could do it, then why did you try to experiment on something so big?"

Though Youmu had only known him for a few days, she had a feeling that Ulquiorra wasn't one to do something as reckless as this. His actions were always calculated, and he never tries to do anything without being sure. By cooking something without being sure is it would turn out good or not, it ran against this very idea.

"Indeed, I had planned to follow your instructions to the letter" Ulquiorra said. "However, when I had tasted the broth for the first time, I did not believe that the taste was right and that I had made an amateur mistake. Thus, I tried get the taste right. Eventually, when I had deemed that the taste was up to standards, I had found out that the things I put into the broth deviated from the original recipe so much that it would be considered less of a correction and more of an original creation."

Youmu just sweat-dropped. He actually tried improving upon the recipe without noticing? And the resulting product of said experiment was actually way more delicious than the original? It took true talent, no, a natural gift to actually to something like that on one's first try. And though she tried not to, she couldn't help but become a little depressed when she compared her skill to that of his.

Then, as if noticing what was going on in her head, Ulquiorra spoke up.

"I apologize if my actions offended you in any way, Youmu-san" he said as he bowed his head towards her.

"Oh no, you didn't do anything like that, Ulquiorra-san! Please raise your head." Youmu quickly said, shaking her hands in front of herself. "In fact, I'm happy that Yuyuko-sama and I will be able to eat something this delicious today."

"I see" Ulquiorra said while picking up his head. "If it is any consolation, I would've never been able to make something like this without the guidance of your cookbook. I simply just adjusted your original recipe, since I never knew how to make ramen in the first place."

"R-Really?" Youmu asked timidly. Though she didn't want to admit it, his small attempt to make her feel better actually worked more than it's supposed to.

"That is correct" Ulquiorra said as he headed back to the pot. "Now, we should hurry. By my calculations, Yuyuko-sama should be waking up soon, and there are still a few things that must be completed before the ramen can be served."

"Oh, you're right!" Youmu said as she looked out the window, noticing that the sun is almost fully showing its face in the netherworld. "What else is there to do, Ulquiorra-san?"

"We must wait for the noodles to finish" Ulquiorra said without looking at her. Youmu's ghost half had left his head and floated expectantly in front of him. Apparently, Ulquiorra had understood its motive and is now spooning more broth for it to try too. "Other than that, we must finish slicing the toppings that I have made."

"Alright! Where should I start?" Youmu said, quickly grabbing her apron and slipping it on.

"The naruto is on the counter with the eggs and pork. Please start with that."

"Leave it to me!"

And thus, for the rest of the time they had, the two subordinates of the princess of the Netherworld worked diligently together to make a meal for their black hole of a superior.

* * *

"This is amazing!" Yuyuko said with a feverous look on her face as she devoured, no, annihilated the bowl of ramen in front of her, her eyes crazed and swirling as much as the swirl in the naruto that was in her bowl. "What is this?! It tastes too good to be simple ramen!"

Ulquiorra could never cease to be amazed by the appetite that his benefactor has. It was truly a frightening sight, watching a woman of otherworldly beauty down entire bowls of ramen, noodle, broth, and toppings included, in one go as if they were shot glasses instead the moment that they were set in front of her. Where does it all go? Did she expend a large amount of reiatsu each day? People living in soul society only need to eat if they had spiritual energy and used it for combat or spells and such, and would live indefinitely if they did not use or had no ability to use reiatsu. If this world follows that rule, then Yuyuko must be expending a large amount of reiatsu each day. But then again, he had reason to believe that this was not the world he hand come from, so that argument might be invalid.

Looking towards the food that he and Youmu had prepared beforehand, Ulquiorra was starting to become worried. The proportions that he had prepared was made according to the calculations that he made based on the observations of Yuyuko's everyday eating habits. To not waste anything but still satisfy his mistress's needs, he made enough food, or so he believes, to feed Yuyuko, Youmu, and himself without leaving any room for leftovers. What resulted were three-foot tall tubs of noodles and toppings with two tubs of broth, enough to feed a third world village for months. Now, however, he was finding that at the rate at which Yuyuko was eating there would be no food left over for Youmu and himself except for what was already in their bowl, unless she also decides to take those too. Perhaps he had made a slight miscalculation when he did not consider what the taste of the food would do to Yuyuko's appetite.

He looked toward Youmu, wondering what her reaction is. Apparently, this level of consumption on Yuyuko's part is also new to Youmu, as she was sitting there open-mouthed with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. As for her ghost half, it was laying on Ulquiorra's lap as it usually does when they eat, flopping there like it had no care in the world.

"You really went all out today, Youmu-chan! This must be your best work yet! I don't think I've eaten something this good made by you before!" said Yuyuko happily between bowls.

At this misunderstanding, Ulquiorra looked towards Youmu again to see what she would say. What he saw were dark clouds of depression raining on her bowed head, whose upper half was covered with dark lines of depression. Shakily, she managed to get something out.

"T-The meal today w-wasn't made by m-me. Ulquiorra-san w-woke up early i-in the morning to make i-it." she said with a depressed tone, which reflected how she felt about herself at the moment.

"Really? Ulqi-kun made this?" said Yuyuko, who actually stopped eating in amazement to look between Ulquiorra and the bowl she had in her hands. "I wouldn't have guessed!"

Quickly, Ulquiorra intervened. "Though the dish itself was really my creation, Youmu-san also played a large role in making it. Without her instructions and assistance, I doubt I would've been able to make something like this and finish it in time to be able serve you right now."

After hearing this, Youmu stared at Ulquiorra with a look of shock. Why did he say that when the credit should rightfully be his. Was it to make her feel better after she say the way she acted? Unbeknownst to her, a fine color of red dusted her pale cheeks as she looked towards Ulquiorra, who still faced Yuyuko after he spoke.

As for Ulquiorra himself, he was wondering why he decided to say such a thing. If it was him a few days ago, he would never even think of saying that the credit for something that he had created was actually shared with someone else. He would've just stayed silent and ignored Youmu, who was heavily expressing her feelings a few seconds ago. So why did he do it now? It was a question that he began pondering in the back of his mind.

Witnessing this, Yuyuko gained a mischievous look on her face.

"Ara?...ufufufu, so that's how it is" she said in a sly tone as she covered her smiling face with her face, though amusement still can be seen in her eyes.

"That is correct" Ulquiorra said while still maintaining his usual poker face, completely missing the point.

"Well then, who knew Ulqi-kun could cook as well as he could make tea!" Yuyuko said cheerfully and went back to attacking her food, seemingly as if forgetting about Youmu's behavior. Little did she know that she was actually filing it away as blackmailing material in the future. "You should really cook more often Ulqi-kun! I can't get enough of this stuff."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said, making a mental note to cook the least possible in the future if it were to result in something like this again. He then realized that the amount of full bowls in front of Yuyuko was reaching critically low levels again. Sighing to himself, he made eye contact with Youmu and nodded his head a bit, signaling that he was going to reload the ammunition. Youmu, who had regained her composure a few minutes ago, nodded back in understanding.

Youmu's ghost half flew off of his lap and floated to rest on his head, knowing beforehand that he was going to move. The rest of meal went on like this, with both subordinates switching the job of reloading the empty bowls made by their mistress until she was satisfied…

* * *

…Which she wasn't.

"Awwww…there's no more?" Yuyuko asked with a sad face.

"I am afraid that was all that I prepared, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said as he cleaned up the dining area. Everything he had prepared beforehand was all gone, devoured into the infinite abyss that is Yuyuko's stomach. As he had predicted before, it seem that there was nothing left over for him and Youmu, meaning that all they had to eat that morning was what they had in their respective bowls. At this point, he was beginning to worry about his and Youmu's health.

Youmu herself was also cleaning up the table, handing the empty bowls and utensils to Ulquiorra so he could bring them to the kitchen for cleaning.

After Ulquiorra and Youmu disappeared into the kitchen for a while, they returned with Ulquiorra holding a tray of his signature tea, with one cup for everyone there, including a small one for Youmu's ghost half since he discovered that it could actually eat things this morning.

"Arigato, Ulquiorra-san" Youmu said as she accepted the cup timidly, her ghost half bobbing in the air in front of its cup happily.

"Ehehehe…my favorite part of a meal!" Yuyuko said as she reached for the still hot cup of green tea in front of her. "Arigato, Ulqi-kun!"

"Please wait, Yuyuko-sama" Ulquiorra said as he stopped her from grabbing the cup of tea, catching everyone's attention with the seriousness of his voice.

"Hm? What is it, Ulqi-kun?" Yuyuko asked him as she tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion.

"I would like to discuss an urgent matter that has come up this morning with you" Ulquiorra said, his face conveying a more intense seriousness than the one it usually does.

At this, the two girls tensed a bit. In the days that Ulquiorra had stayed with them, they had at the very least deducted that Ulquiorra was very serious person, even more so than Youmu (much to Yuyuko's dismay). So, when his face displayed more seriousness than it usually does, they knew that this could possibly be an urgent matter. As the suspense built up, both of them leaned a bit towards Ulquiorra in expectation.

Sitting down, Ulquiorra face both the girls as he finally revealed the troubling matter "…it seems that we are running critically low on food again."

At this, all of the built-up suspense dissipated immediately as both Yuyuko and Youmu fell backwards in their seat, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Ulquiorra tilted his head sideways slightly, bemused at their actions any why his statement seemed to have caused it. Youmu's ghost half, which had taken residence on Ulquiorra's lap, gained a sweat drop in its 'face'.

"Was what I said wrong?" Ulquiorra questioned, trying to get an explanation. Unless if his eyes were tricking his, which was impossible due to their nature, he had observed that the cabinets and the storeroom in the kitchen were almost bare, save for a few vegetables and what was left at the bottom of the sacks of rice and flour.

"It's not that Ulquiorra-san" Youmu was the first to replay as she got up in her seat. Patting the dust from her clothes and hair, Youmu regained her composure and answered his question. "It's just that such a situation is not something that is that surprising here."

"Oh?"

"Yes, unfortunately that is the way it is." Youmu continued as she crossed her arms above her chest, her eye closed as she let out a sigh. "I'm not proud to say it, but Hakugyokurou goes through food supplies in a week at best. Nothing I've tried before has been able to extend it longer than that."

"I see." Ulquiorra said as he thought over this fact. Since he personally made sure that he helped at every meal in the day, he knew where all of the food that was in the previously filled storage went. It just somehow slipped his mind that this happened on such a regular basis, not that anyone can blame him. Seeing a woman consume well over ten times her estimated body mass every single day is not something you would expect.

"If only a certain someone could hold back on how much she eats," Youmu says as she lets out another sigh, still expressing her worry/defeat on the matter "then maybe our supplies would last much longer than this, and we would be saving so much money too."

"Indeed that is true" said Ulquiorra, though it was quite obvious in his opinion. It was also quite obvious that Youmu was admonishing Yuyuko for her eating behavior, ambient in a more indirect way. And if it would discourage his benefactor from literally eating them out of house and home, he would gladly join in. "It would save much time as well."

"Uuuuuuuu… you guys!" exclaimed Yuyuko, who had pretty much been ignored for the duration of their conversation. Her face was sporting a full blown pout, with her hands balled up into fists at her sides as she shook angrily while looking in their general direction. All in all, an expression that made her look more cute than scary. "Stop talking about someone as if they aren't there!"

"Eh? What are you mad about, Yuyuko-sama?" Youmu said with a completely innocent expression. "We're just talking about the person who **eats way too much, does not know how to hold back**, and **thinks about nothing but food **around here. Why should you be mad?"

With each fault pointed out, a figurative arrow appeared and pierced Yuyuko through the chest, sinking Yuyuko further into depression each time. Ulquiorra watch this little scene with a small amount of amusement, still stroking Youmu's ghost half on his lap.

"*sniff* Uuuuuuuuuuu…" Yuyuko said as she cried streams of tears from her eyes. She then launched herself at Ulquiorra and grabbed his left arm in a tight hug, burying her face into his arm. "Ulqi-kun, Youmu is being mean to me!"

"**Airhead, lazy, glutton**" was Ulquiorra's reply to Yuyuko's exclamation. As a result of this, Yuyuko was now faced down on the table with black clouds of depression hanging above her head, making it rain down on her head in a very accurate representation of her current emotional status.

While this is happening, Youmu was just sitting in her seat with a pleasant smile on her face. Coupling with Yuyuko's sobbing from, Ulquiorra couldn't help but think that although Youmu might be shy and timid most of the time that he saw her, she has the potential to be quite evil when she wanted to be.

Another thing that Ulquiorra noticed was that when Yuyuko grabbed his arm, although his face never shows it, he felt something. Sure there was the uncomfortableness, but then there was also something else that he felt. An emotion that he couldn't quite place as he had never felt it before. It was the same feeling that he has when he finds out in the morning that Yuyuko had slept in his bed. If he were to describe it, it would be like a sudden rush of heat. Though he could suppress it in mere milliseconds, he could feel his newly acquired heart beating ever so slightly faster than it usually does. Knowing this, he wonders what it means. Was his heart trying to tell him something? Perhaps he would look into it later.

Bringing a fist up to his mouth, Ulquiorra cleared his throat. "Nevertheless, the problem still stands. If we do not replenish our food supplies, we will barely have enough to get through dinner tonight."

At this, Yuyuko immediately snaps out of her depression. "Wa! This is bad! We have to go shopping quick!"

"I'll prepare to leave" Youmu said as she sighed at her mistress's enthusiasm at this subject. As she moves to get up, Ulquiorra decided that this was the right moment to bring up his portion of this matter.

"Yuyuko-sama, might I make a request?" Ulquiorra asked Yuyuko, causing Youmu to stop rising from her seat halfway in curiosity. Never once had Ulquiorra make a personal request since he started living with them, so this was a first for both of them.

"Eh? What is it, Ulqi-kun?" Yuyuko said with a curious look.

"If it is possible, might I accompany Youmu-san?" Ulquiorra asked, finally conveying his desire in a simple request. At this, Yuyuko's curious look turned into one of bemusement.

"Huh? Why are you asking that, Ulqi-kun?" Yuyuko asked him in return. At this, Ulquiorra assumed the worse. It made sense, really. If there were two subordinates, why have both of them go and leave the superior unattended? Youmu probably only did it because she was the only one serving Yuyuko until recently. Berating himself slightly for even making such a mistake, Ulquiorra addressed Yuyuko again.

"Forgive me, Yuyuko-sama. I should have given it more thought before bothering you with such a trivial matter." Ulquiorra said to Yuyuko, somehow managing to convey a tiny sense of resignation even when his facial features never changed from their usual stoic ones. Standing up from his seat with Youmu's ghost half flying out of his lap, Ulquiorra faced Youmu, who was looking at him bewilderedly. "Please leave all of the chores to me, Youmu-san. I shall finish them before you return."

Just Ulquiorra was about to excuse himself, Yuyuko chose this moment to voice her thoughts.

"Wait, Ulqi-kun! That's not what I meant!" Yuyuko said frantically as she gestured for him to stop with her right hand.

"Nani?" Ulquiorra said as he stopped in his tracks at Yuyuko's elimination.

"What I meant was that why are you even asking that?" Yuyuko said with a smiling face.

"What do you mean, Yuyuko-sama?" Ulquiorra asked as he tilted his head to the side slightly in confusion, still bewildered at to what she was trying to say.

"I mean, you don't have ask that at all!" Yuyuko says while still smiling. "Of course you are going with Youmu-chan! I expected you to in the first place!"

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Ulquiorra was a bit surprised at what she was saying. She wanted him to go in the first place? For what purpose? Just moments ago, Ulquiorra had admitted that it was illogical to let him go in the first place, and that he was a fool to actually think that Yuyuko would let him go. And here she was, saying she expected him to go. Why? Isn't it more beneficial for him to say and attend to her and finish the daily chores?

"Is that so?" Ulquiorra asked. "But then who would attend to you, Yuyuko-sama?"

"Oh please, Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko said as she made the usual hand gesture that accompanied that phrase. "Before you were here, Youmu-chan left me by myself every time that she needed to go out for supplies or run errands. It's not like I can't take care of myself, I'm a big girl!"

At this, both Youmu and Ulquiorra sweat dropped as Yuyuko held her head up haughtily. Having both experienced her usual antics, they had more than enough evidence to prove this statement false.

"Besides," Yuyuko says as she produced a fan out of nowhere covered the lover part of her face while again producing that mischievous glint in her eyes. "I know that you were curious about Gensokyo, aren't you?"

Hearing this, Ulquiorra became a bit alarmed. He had been found out? But how? Was he that easily readable? He knew that it was in his nature to not express his thoughts and it showed in his expression and body language, which were usually stoic and wasted no excess movements. He had honed this even further as quarto espada, and he was sure that he would not voluntarily carry himself in such a way that what was on his mind could be seen through as though he was an open book. So how was it that Yuyuko was able to seemingly his discern motives? Was it a coincidence, and she was just guessing? Or did she really know just by looking at him?

"Don't worry, who wouldn't want to explore a bit?" Yuyuko continued as she closed her fan with a snap and smiled widely with her arms extended in a display of excitement. "If I were you, I couldn't wait to be able to see what kind of mystical place Gensokyo is! Just having it described to me wouldn't be enough, I would be itching to get out of my seat and go out and see the world!"

…Perhaps it was the former. He doubt he would ever describe himself as "itching to get out of his seat" to explore. He wouldn't be able to live himself if he ever lowered himself to such a level. After hearing what Yuyuko had to say, Ulquiorra concluded that it was most likely just Yuyuko's assumption born from her antics that happened to match his desires. Even if this was true, however, it didn't change the fact that this situation caught Ulquiorra a bit off guard somehow. This either meant that he was losing his edge, or that he had become too lax. Both are reasons for him to be concerned. This never happened before, so why what he experiencing this now? Was I because of his newfound heart? Or was it that his new home was so much different from his previous one? Perhaps it's the fact that he doesn't have to spend every waking moment fighting amongst his own kind as to now lose himself in the world of Hueco Mundo. He would admit that living like he had been doing for the past few days here in the Netherworld would be quite disarming.

With this in mind, Ulquiorra resolved to be more aware of his surroundings and once again hone his senses. It wouldn't do to become too lax in such a place, even when there seems to be little need for such alertness. Besides, from what he was heard, Gensokyo has powerful individuals within its confines. Who could say they wouldn't cause trouble for them here? No, would not let that happen. Not to his new home, and especially not to those who gave him a place to even remotely call home. That is what his heart was telling him, and he chose to follow its suggestions this time.

"And now that I think about it, I can just let Youmu go around carrying all those supplies by herself " Yuyuko said as she tapped her shin with her folded fan in thought. "Not when there is a man here who can take care of that."

"Yuyuko-sama, its fine" Youmu said as she waved her hands in front of herself. For some reason, the thought that she would be alone with Ulquiorra while they go about getting supplies sent butterflies to her stomach. Her nervousness increased as Yuyuko assured Ulquiorra that he would be accompanying her, and as such she tried to avert such a situation. "I've been doing for some time now, so it's ok if he doesn't come with me."

"Nonsense! Even though you're used to it, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't accept help when it is available" Yuyuko said, shooting down Youmu's half-hearted attempt to not bring Ulquiorra. "Besides, it's a gentlemen's duty to help ladies in need!"

"R-really?" Youmu asked nervously.

"Yep! Definitely!" Yuyuko says as she scooted closer to Youmu. "Besides, you can use this chance, Youmu-chan."

Finishing her sentence with a wink, Yuyuko donned a teasing expression as Youmu stared at her. Realizing what she was implying, Youmu's face gained a red tint as she comically beats on Yuyuko with her balled up fists. "Y-Yuyuko-sama!"

"Hehe!" Yuyuko says with her face still in its teasing shape.

"Youmu-san" Ulquiorra calls out, making the girls stop what they were looking and look towards him. He then bows his head slightly and stares into her eyes.

"If you would have me, I would like to accompany you and help you in any way I can."

"Eh!" Youmu says as she snapped out of her previous state. "W-well, if Ulquiorra-san want to come, then it's not like I mind, really!"

"Understood" Ulquiorra says as he faces the kitchen again. "Arigato, Youmu-san, Yuyuko-sama. I will prepare to go out after I finish taking care of the dishes."

"Ah! Let me help you, Ulquiorra-san." Youmu says as she quickly got up and rushes towards the kitchen, passing by Ulquiorra with her ghost half.

"Ulqi-kun, just a minute." Yuyuko gestures towards him.

Wondering what she wanted, he moved slightly closer to her. "Yes, Yuyuko-sama?"

"You know, you don't have to find an excuse when you want to do something outside of your job" Yuyuko says with a smile on her face.

The only thing that betrayed Ulquiorra's shock at this was a minute widening of his eyes. There she was again, stating what he had been trying to do by bringing up the matter of supplies. So, it was the former and not the latter after all.

"If you're wondering how it knew about it, it's because I have seen this situation before." Yuyuko says with a pleasant smile still on her face. "Youmu-chan used to be just like that when she was younger, putting work before all else at such a naive age."

"Is that so?" Ulquiorra asked with a bit of curiosity in his voice.

"Yep! She acted just like you a few moments ago, so it was easily noticeable even with the way you hold yourself." Yuyuko says, now donning an expression that could be described as motherly. "Well, what I'm saying is, you don't have to be so strict with yourself Ulquiorra. If you want to have some fun sometimes, just ask me! I would be happy to let you!"

"…I see" Ulquiorra says as she contemplated what she told him. Such a lax way of thinking. Was she always that carefree? It could lead to problems in the future. But then again, he has never seen such kindness towards a subordinate before. It was…different to sat least. Not that he didn't appreciate it. No, it actually enforced his earlier line of thought. To show him this much kindness is more than enough for him. He would make sure that he protect this place and its inhabitants. His honor demanded that from him, that much was what his heart was telling him.

"Anyways, run along!" Yuyuko says as she makes a shooing motion with her hands. "Don't keep Youmu-chan waiting too long."

"Understood." Ulquiorra says as he walked towards the kitchen again. However, he stop when he is just at the doorway.

"Arigato, Yuyuko-sama."

Smiling again, Yuyuko spreads her fan and holds it over her face while fanning herself.

"You're welcome…!"

Hearing this Ulquiorra continued into the kitchen, leaving Yuyuko alone in the dining room.

"…Ulqi-kun" Yuyuko says as, behind her fan, the tiniest amount red somehow found its way to her face.

* * *

Ulquiorra was currently in his room, donning the set of clothes he was given the day he arrived. When he was working in Hakugyokurou and around its premises, he usually only wears the white inner layer as to offer him more freedom of movement. Now, however, he would be going outside, specifically to the rest of the mysterious world of Gensokyo. As such, it would be logically as to make oneself more presentable.

Finally tying the obi, Ulquiorra makes a final check. Seeing nothing wrong, he retrieves Murcielago and attaches it to his waist. After closing the door to his room, he makes his way to the front entrance of the ghost shrine, where Youmu said that she would be waiting for him.

Approaching the entrance, Ulquiorra sees Yuyuko standing over Youmu, who had her back to them while bent over to tie her shoes. Noticing him, Yuyuko turns towards his direction.

"Ah! Here he is Youmu" Yuyuko says, getting Youmu's attention. Hearing this, Youmu finishes tying her shoes and faces him as well.

"Oh! Ulquiorra-san. Are you ready to leave?" Youmu asked.

"Yes. I do not have much to bring except for the cloths on my back and my sword." Ulquiorra replied as he nodded with his eyes closed.

"I see. Well then we should be off. It would be the best if we can get back by lunch. Usually it takes quite longer and I would have to prepare a lunch for Yuyuko-sama before I left. But now that you're here to help it should take less time, no?" Youmu said with a smile on her face.

"Very well" Ulquiorra said, stepping out of Hakugyokurou. He then bowed towards Yuyuko. "We'll be going now, Yuyuko-sama."

"Alright! Take care now!" Yuyuko said as she waved at them. "Try not to get into too much trouble now!"

Nodding back, Ulquiorra joins the waiting Youmu.

"I'll lead the way, Ulquiorra-san" says Youmu.

"Please do" replied Ulquiorra.

At this, they both kicked off the ground and flew along the path that led towards the barrier. As they flew, curiosity and anticipation again enters Ulquiorra. What would it be like, this world of fantasy? Would it be like it was described to him? Filled with dangers and yet lacks the seriousness that comes them, with wonders that he has yet been able to set his eyes upon? Or is there more than meets the eye? Well, no matter. He will judge it when he sees it with his own two eyes.

After all, nothing escapes these eyes of his.

* * *

Author's notes:

I am sorry.

It has been so long since I last updated. Six months, was it? I have been putting off this chapter for far too long than I should have. I will offer no excuses, as I have none. All that time I have spent playing Tekkit, reading other Fics, or reading Visual Novels could have been spent on this fic, and I know it.

If I have lost a couple of supporters, then it's understandable. I have just become the type of author I dislike on FanFiction, after all. Again, sorry.

Well, what to say? I actually started this chapter way back in January, right after I uploaded chapter 4. And then, I don't know what happened. Maybe it was writer's block, or just a loss of interest. I don't really know anymore. Well, I could say that I was too busy working on my Senior Project for high school, but that was about 4 months ago, so no.

On a side note: I graduated! Hurray! This freedom is amazing! That is, until I get to college. And then, it's more studying for me! Aint that just fan-fucking-tastic.

About this chapter, I wasn't feeling it in the middle part for some reason. If you notice a drop in quality, then that's probably where it felt kind of shitty to me. I find it hard trying to describe Ulquiorra's thoughts and emotions in this chapter. Well, maybe it's just me. Also, I didn't read over this chapter at all, so if you see a noticeable drop in grammar, then please tell me and I'll fix it as soon as possible.

I also took a little detour and made another Bleach x Touhou fic before I finished this. If you want to check it out, go ahead. I know of at least two of you who have, so thank you.

Well then, next you guys will actually see Gensokyo as it is envisioned in the mind of this second rate author. Oh I just know I well have a fucking swell time trying to do so. Wehlp, to the Touhou wiki! Also, I just realized that I've turned Youmu into a love-struck high school girl O.O . Well, I like her this way though. Don't worry, she usually only acts this way around Ulquiorra.

Anyways, I would like to give a shout out to the various circles and groups that made the songs that helped me finish his chapter. EXO, BAP, VIXX, EastNewSound, FELT, and various other doujin circles and K-pop bands that provided wonderful music for me to listen to while I grind out his chapter for the wonderful people of this site, I would like to thank you. You guys should listen them too .

Well, that's about all I have. I wish I could tell you when the next chapter would be out, but I wouldn't want to give out misleading information. So, it'll be out when it comes out.

Again, I would like to see more people populating this crossover section too. It has way to much potential to be ignored, at least to me. If you have a Bleach x Touhou idea, get it out! I'm getting kind of lonely here by myself! I want to read other people's ideas too.

Well, that is all. Leave me a review or something, it would make me really happy. All of you have a wonderful day, and thank you for picking up this little piece to spend your time reading.


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